


Pride Month | Or the Journey of Dean Winchester Finding Pride

by anyrei, mugglerock



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alright We Aren't Total Teases, Bottom Dean Winchester, Canon Compliant, Castiel Gets Soaked, Castiel Wants Dean Winchester to be Happy, Comedy, Dean Coming to Terms with Himself, Dean Discovers Something, Dean Winchester Comes Out, Dean Winchester Finds Pride, Dean Winchester Has Internalized Homophobia, Dean Winchester is Arachnophobic, Destiel Pride 2020, Djinni & Genies, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Finally Some Sexy Content, Friends to Lovers, Gay Pride, Glitter Glitter Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink, Hand Jobs, Internalized Homophobia, It’s His Prostate, Jealous Dean Winchester, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Kitchen Sex, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mr. Fizzles Ain't Gonna Take it, Not the Shitty Sandra Bullock Movie Kind, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pinks You Punk! Pink Slips! Ownership Papers!, Pinks?, Post canon, Pride Month Prompts, Racin' for Pinks, Romantic Comedy, Sam Winchester Loves Celine Dion, Season/Series 15 Spoilers, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strip Tease, Stripping Should Be Left to the Professionals, Tags May Change, Taking a Page from Dan Levy's Book About a Homophobia Free World, The Only Tag You Get for Chapter 27 is You're Welcome, The Writers Are Gonna Tease You, The Writers Are Not Above Using Slapstick, The Writers Gloss Over the Empty Deal Because It's a Dumb Plotline With All the Plotholes, There are No Intersections in SPN Just Crossroads, Top Castiel (Supernatural), Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Tropes, Undercover as a Couple, We Skirt the Line on Meeting the Prompts, Willy Wonka Would Not Approve, no pies were harmed in the making of this fic, that's canon, you’re welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 32,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anyrei/pseuds/anyrei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugglerock/pseuds/mugglerock
Summary: A series of post canon vignettes that explore Dean Winchester’s journey down a road to self-discovery, self-love, and learning how to find pride in who he is and who he loves.This is a Pride Month fic challenge with a Destiel twist!(Disclaimer: if you read this story anywhere but Ao3, it was taken without the writers’ knowledge or permission, please do not patronize any apps or sites that try to make money off of other peoples’ art. Read it here for free!)
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy & Sam Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Kaia Nieves & Claire Novak, Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak
Comments: 275
Kudos: 363
Collections: The AnyRock Collection





	1. Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this dated Pride Month prompt:
> 
> Each day we will upload a new one-shot featuring the day’s specified word, and while each “chapter” can be read as a standalone piece, it will follow a chronological timeline, and most of the days will connect through a short underlying storyline.
> 
>  **Frankie here:** This Pride month is steeped in traumatic flashbacks to a virus ripping through our communities, to the justified civil unrest from those of us fed up with the systemic prejudice and violence aimed at those of us who are different. History is repeating itself before our eyes. The goal here is not to detract or take away from the seriousness of everything, but we wanted to share our art by participating in a writing challenge for a month that is significant for both of us as members of the LGBTQ+ community. If this fic brings you a little bit of joy, then that’s all we could ask for. 
> 
> **Any here:** I won’t add to Frankie’s comment because she already said everything on that topic and it’s really not my place but there is another thing that came to my attention recently: A lot of our younger lgbt+ members are afraid at the moment by threats and hate by an instagram/4chan group called “pridefall”. Many want to put their profiles on private during June so they won’t get attacked.
> 
> It’s PRIDE. This means, now more than ever, we should be out in the open and show colour. Don’t be afraid of those idiots! You have a strong community that has your back. If you go into hiding, that is exactly what they want. Just block their account on instagram and any other asshole that sends you crap. Focus on the good people, don’t waste energy and time on idiots! So here is our contribution to PRIDE MONTH.
> 
>  **Frankie here:** So stay safe, stay strong, and share in each other’s strength. Black and brown lives matter, trans lives matter, and fuck racism and bigotry. <3<3<3

**Storm**

It was raining cats and mice. Cas sighed quietly as he tried to pretend that he wasn’t bothered by the fact of being drenched. All angels hated getting wet. It was a well hidden secret. Loud thunder growled above them and Cas gave the sky a worried look. “We should seek shelter.”

Dean nodded as he pulled his leather jacket up and did his best to shield them both from the downpour. “I think I see a light over there,” he said as he pointed north. There was a faint yellow halogen lightbulb shakily shining through the darkness approximately several yards north. “Maybe it’s somewhere we can stay out the storm.”

It was a nice sentiment that Dean tried to protect him with his jacket, and Cas felt a little warmer in his chest as he nodded and quickly followed Dean through the night towards the light. He could hear music before they reached a… It looked like a quaint bar. 

The thunder was deafening and Cas immediately noticed Dean’s tension, as much as he noticed Dean had started to shiver. They reached a wooden porch with a roof right before lightning struck a tree a few hundred feet away from them. 

The sizzle and crackle was almost deafening from the proximity, and Dean said, “Fuck that,” before he pushed open the door and clapped a hand on Cas’s shoulder to guide him inside.

Stepping inside of the bar was like stepping inside of a different world. People were wearing colorful clothes, gathered together in dance, or just talking to each other at the bar. It was a very cheerful atmosphere. Friendly and welcoming. Cas gave Dean a relieved smile. "We were lucky to find this place in this storm."

Dean’s face had grown quite pale as he appeared stuck at the entrance, seemingly reticent to step in any closer. He nodded dumbly, but still made no attempt to move forward.

"Dean?" Cas touched Dean's arm and tilted his head, feeling worried about him. "Are you alright?"

At that, Dean forced a smile and finally started moving forward. “Uh, yeah,” he murmured as he made his way to a couple of empty seats at the bar.

Cas peeled out of his soaked coat, wondering if maybe Dean just felt uncomfortable because he was probably as drenched as Cas. It was an unsettling feeling, especially when it came to his shoes and socks. He folded his coat over his legs as he sat next to Dean. 

The bartender, a man with a bare chest and a cowboy hat, winked at Dean. "Awful weather, huh? What can I get you two?"

Dean’s eyebrows shot up, and he murmured a weak, “Two beers.”

The bartender nodded and ducked down below the bar, grabbing a couple of glasses. Cas leaned over to Dean and whispered, "He’s wearing a cowboy hat. Maybe he likes cowboys just as much as you do, Dean."

“Dude,” Dean hissed as he shifted away, “personal space.”

To say Cas was surprised by Dean's reaction was an understatement. Dean hadn't reminded him of his personal space in years. Why was it suddenly important again? A feeling of awkwardness spread in his heart because he didn't know what he had done wrong in this particular moment to warrant a reaction like that. 

So he folded his hands on the counter and stared at the light brown wood, letting out a soft sigh. His musings were interrupted by the bartender putting a glass of beer in front of him. Cas looked up, giving the man a weak smile as he murmured, "Thank you."

“You’re welcome,” he said with a sweet smile as he started cleaning another glass, looking at the both of them, but making it a point to address Cas. “You boys aren’t from around here, are you?”

"No, we're from... Kansas," Cas replied after a moment of hesitation. He wondered if Dean had already checked in with his brother at the bunker. Since Sam had broken his leg, the younger Winchester had been constantly worried about them because he couldn't join them. Cas hated that he didn’t have enough power to heal Sam, and he wondered if Dean felt resentment towards Cas for not being able to help.

“Well, welcome to Oz,” he said with another wink before he added, “first one’s on the house.”

"Thank you, that is very kind," Cas replied with a smile. The people here seemed to be really nice.

Dean visibly swallowed as he grabbed his beer and immediately started gulping it down. As his Adam’s apple bobbed with the effort, a man dressed in a very colorful shirt with matching shorts (similar to the ones Dean used to clean his car) slid up next to him with an impressed smirk.

“Wonder what else you can swallow like that, big boy.”

Which prompted Dean to choke on his beer, almost falling off the stool as he spluttered and gasped for air.

Cas patted Dean’s back, really concerned for his friend now. What was wrong with him? “Dean? Are you not feeling well?”

“You his boyfriend?” The other guy asked.

Dean shook his head vehemently. “No!”

Cas raised his eyebrow at the man, wondering how he came to that conclusion. "We're just friends," he added, trying to be friendly, although he was more concerned with Dean's reactions.

The man slid his hand up Dean’s back and said, “I didn’t mean to make you choke.”

Dean was clearly uncomfortable as he shifted away from the man. “I’m not… I’m not… you know.”

“Interested?”

“Gay,” he clarified in a frantic whisper.

Cas had watched the conversation with interest, trying to understand why Dean was so uncomfortable. The other man shook his head, laughing. "So, you're just your friend's wingman?"

_ Wingman. _ Cas knew that word. Dean had referred to himself as Cas’s wingman on a few occasions. An expression that had confused Cas in the beginning, since Dean didn't have wings. Now he knew it was about helping Cas find a sexual partner. 

Not that Cas had any interest in that, so instead he answered, "No, we are just here because the storm surprised us."

The guy looked a little disappointed at that. "So, you're also not gay?"

Cas shook his head. "I'm indifferent to sexual orientation."

“Is that a fancy way of saying you’re pan?”

Cas was pretty sure he didn't look like the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, rustic music and impromptus. What a weird question. "Um, no I'm a human."

The guy barked out a laugh. “Damn, you’re cute.”

His face felt warm and he didn’t know how to react to the compliment, so he just toyed with the coaster. He knew he sounded shy when he replied, “Um, thank you.”

Dean tapped on the bar and waved the bartender over, his body language indicative of a severe discomfort that was really starting to concern Cas.

Before he could inquire further, the stranger moved past Dean and approached Cas. “What’s your name, handsome?”

“Castiel,” Cas replied hesitantly. He could see the man’s soul, knowing his name instantly (Alexander) and that he was a good person. He had brown eyes and black hair, his skin tanned and it was obvious he took good care of his body. Although he knew the man’s name, he still asked, “And yours?”

“Lex,” he practically purred as he sidled closer to Cas.

Dean tapped the bar at that moment and the bartender leaned forward. “Got any whiskey?” Dean asked, tone suddenly annoyed as opposed to the choked hesitation from before.

Cas was sure there was something about this situation that he wasn’t understanding. Why was Dean suddenly annoyed? Was Dean annoyed with him? Maybe because Cas was talking to the man who had made him uncomfortable before... 

Alexander, or Lex, seemed to feel his tension and hesitation. He looked between him and Dean with a confused expression before he squinted his eyes and held up his hands. “Maybe I’ll just leave you two alone,” Lex said awkwardly before he slid away from the bar and mingled with the other patrons. 

For a moment Cas looked after him before he fiddled with his glass. “I’m sorry,” he apologized to Dean. 

“For what?” He grunted before throwing back two shots and pushing the third towards Cas.

“You’re annoyed. I’m guessing because of me.” Cas sighed and drank the shot. It tasted like alcohol molecules, and he couldn’t help but grimace at the taste. “I don’t know what I did wrong though.”

Dean sighed as he waved at the bartender and tapped the bar again. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Cas tilted his head. "Then why are you so annoyed? Is it because of that man? He seemed to make you uncomfortable. Do you know him?"

That was met with a mirthless laugh as the cowboy bartender approached, flashing them a concerned look before dutifully refilling the three empty shot glasses. Dean shook his head. “I’m not gay,” he reiterated. 

"I know that, Dean," Cas replied dryly. Why was Dean stating such obvious things? The way he loved women, it had always been pretty clear to Cas. "I don't see how this correlates with that man making you uncomfortable. Charlie didn't make you uncomfortable."

“Charlie didn’t hit on me,” he grumbled as he slowly rotated one of the shot glasses before adding under his breath, “or you.”

This conversation was getting more confusing by the minute. "You get 'hit' on all the time. And you always encourage it when it happens to me. I don't understand why this is different."

Dean looked around, as though searching for something, before he turned back to Cas. “Can we talk about this later?”

"Of course," Cas replied slowly before he looked down at his wet trench coat. "I would do anything for a hot shower at home right now." Although angels weren't a fan in general of water, showering was weirdly okay. Maybe because of the water pressure, because standing in the rain was definitely disgusting. 

“Goddamnit, Cas,” he hissed before he finished off the shots, dropped some cash on the bar and stood up, grabbing his jacket. 

"Are we going out into the storm again?" Cas asked in surprise, giving him a wide eyed look, which had helped him in the past to sway Dean. He had hoped the topic change would make Dean less uncomfortable and tense. He had obviously failed.

Dean shrugged on his jacket. “You can stay here if you want, I’m gonna try and find an auto shop to get the part I need for Baby.”

Although Cas really didn't want to go out into the rain again, he would never leave Dean's side. "Dean, why can't we wait until the storm is over? I promise I’ll keep my… 'trap' shut." He was ninety six percent sure he had said something to annoy Dean.

There was a beat of silence as he held Cas’s gaze, until he finally shook his head. “I don’t want to stay here.”

Cas frowned and grabbed his trench coat. "I'm gonna blow this joint," Cas grumbled, imitating the voice of Marlon Brando from a movie Dean had made him watch.

For the first time since they entered this strange bar, Dean smiled. “Remind me when we get home to explain just how inappropriate that comment is in this exact moment.”

Cas smiled back at him, happy that he had relieved some of Dean's tension. Even if it was inadvertently.


	2. Rainbow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rainbows, rainbows everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
> 
> It's [this version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I) of the song.

**Rainbow**

_ “Somewhere over the rainbow…” _

Dean grumbled in frustration as he sat bolt upright, his radio alarm clock bellowing out the lyrics of the cheesy ass song from  _ The Wizard of Oz, _ instead of his usual Asia, or Rush.

Jack probably changed the damn station again. He really needed to get a lock on his damn door. 

After punching the snooze button hard enough the clock faded to black, Dean let out an annoyed huff as he threw off his blanket. He blindly grabbed his robe and shrugged it on as he made his way to the kitchen. 

Despite the bizarrely gentle song being his wake up call, it rubbed him the wrong way, so now he had to start his day on edge, and it was a damn good thing the kid was human now, otherwise he’d punch him dead in the face.

When he entered the kitchen, Sam and Jack were nowhere in sight. Only Cas was sat there, staring into a coffee mug with a thoughtful and almost forlorn expression. He didn’t even look up when Dean entered the room.

“How old’s the coffee, space cowboy?” he asked as he approached the beast of a pot. Dean immediately started rifling through the cupboard for a mug.  _ Where the fuck were they? _

"From twenty minutes ago," Cas murmured before he sighed and got up, pouring his coffee into the sink before handing Dean his empty cup. It had a rainbow and a bee on it.

The urge to give it back was overwhelming, but coffee trumped gay mugs. Without bothering to rinse it out, he grabbed the carafe and started filling the cup. “What’s up with you?” 

"Nothing," Cas mumbled before he shuffled back to the table and sat down, staring at the surface. He looked tired.

Dean furrowed his brow as he took a sip of the coffee, recoiling slightly from the excessive sweetness. He really should learn to rinse out Cas’s mugs. Feeling too lazy to waste a perfectly good cup of joe, he moved to sit across from his friend. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Cas folded his hands on the table and looked up at him with a slightly annoyed expression. "I don't know how you do it." He shook his head in dismay. "For months I've tried to recreate the coffee you once made for me. That coffee was the most perfect coffee I have ever tasted. But no matter how much I try, I can't replicate it."

At that, Dean could help but laugh. He downed half his cup and nodded for Cas to get up, doing so himself. He approached the sink and actually rinsed out the cup before he opened the cupboard with the sugar. How did he never notice the rainbow on the container before?

Dean poured a new cup, only a little more than half way. “The trick is to pour sugar until it’s two thirds full,” he said as he handed Cas the dispenser and moved to the fridge to grab the milk.

Cas squinted into the cup with a concentrated frown on his face. "I'm very sure I used the same amount of sugar," he murmured with a skeptical tone in his voice. "Are you sure you didn't add a special ingredient?"

“Trust me, if I had that kinda ingredient, I wouldn’t waste it on a guy who would need at least ten ounces to feel it,” he teased as he took the dispenser back and proceeded to make Cas his coffee how he always did. Dean handed the finished product to him, after filling the rest of the cup with milk, and using a spoon dipped in honey to stir it. “Here.”

Cas grabbed the cup with both of his hands, looking like a squirrel before he carefully nipped at the coffee. His eyebrows shot up. "It's so perfect," he mumbled in awe.

Dean chuckled and leaned against the counter. “I think you’re just lazy and want me to make you coffee.”

The indignant look on Cas's face was always hilarious to see. "I'm not lazy. I really tried. I had one hundred and eleven and a half attempts at trying to make the coffee perfect." He looked slightly devastated after saying that. "I always failed." Cas really seemed to need a pick me up.

Never one to turn down a chance to go for a drive, Dean nodded to the door. “Come on, let’s get outta here for a while.”

Cas looked up at him with a bright smile and nodded before he emptied the rest of his coffee in one go. "Where are we going?"

Dean shrugged as he made his way out of the kitchen to the library where he kept a duffel of spare clothes. He pulled off his robe. “I used to go for drives when I just… needed to clear my head, enjoy a change of scenery.”

He could practically feel the way Cas stopped all movement behind him. When he turned around, Cas was staring at Dean's legs, swallowing visibly before he looked away, clearing his throat, "That sounds like something I could really use right now."

Dean tried to not think about what that look meant. After that stupid night they accidentally ended up at a gay bar, Dean found himself thinking about things that he’d spent a better part of a decade pushing from the forefront of his mind with a bulldozer. He quickly pulled on his jeans and grabbed a flannel shirt. “Me too,” he confessed, annoyed that he chose to throw on an extra shirt when he felt so warm.

“Are you alright?” Cas asked hesitantly as they walked up the staircase to the front door.

Dean furrowed his brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I…” Cas sighed and shook his head, giving him a quick smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Never mind.”

“What’s up?” He asked again as he started making his way toward the staircase. While Cas wasn’t usually a big talker, he usually wasn’t hesitant to speak plainly.

"Since the storm you're… more tense than usual. And you never really explained to me why that place had made you so uncomfortable," Cas said when they reached the door.

Dean sighed. He really hoped they could avoid this conversation. As he held the door to the garage open for Cas, he gave him a half shrug. “I kinda don’t know how to explain it.”

"Can you try?" Cas asked after they got into the car.

As he started Baby’s engine, enjoying the sound of her purr, he gripped the steering wheel. “I just… I don’t want to sound like a dick.”

He could feel Cas's gaze on him. It was almost like his friend was looking directly into his soul. "You're what the internet describes as a homophobe," he finally stated, like he was talking about the weather.

Dean almost cringed. His brother had called him that countless times. Dean didn’t feel like he was scared, or hated gay people, he just... sometimes his Dad’s voice would echo what was and wasn’t manly all too often. Not to mention... “I don’t think I am.”

Cas nodded before he added, "I couldn't imagine it either to be honest. You fought against all the evil in the world. It wouldn't make sense to be afraid of men who are attracted to other men." His friend gave him a thoughtful look. "But then again… you're afraid of spiders, so logic might not apply here."

Without hesitation, Dean slapped Cas’s chest and let out a huff of laughter. “Dick.”

Cas made a soft, "Oof," sound before he raised his eyebrow. "So why do you think you felt so uncomfortable?"

As Dean pulled Baby out of the garage, immediately greeted by the vision of a clear blue sky, blinking his eyes against the light, his field of sight was assaulted by yet another damn rainbow. A real, legit, Dorothy level rainbow. He sighed again. “How much do you know about my Dad? About how me and Sammy were raised?”

When he looked over to Cas he caught him staring at the rainbow with an awed expression, lips parted as he took it in in apparent wonder. It was weird to see that someone as old as Cas, who had probably seen dinosaurs, was in awe of something as unassuming as a rainbow. “I only know what you and Sam told me.”

Dean nodded as he found himself driving towards the damn rainbow. “Dad was a good man, but he wasn’t perfect, you know?” He let out a ruthless chuckle. “Sammy doesn’t think I know that. He’s convinced that I worshipped the ground he walked on, but it was kinda the opposite.”

The Kansas landscape was rushing past as Dean followed the road, the rainbow shining bright above them. "You sought his approval?" Cas asked after a moment of silence.

“I sought his mercy,” he confessed. Dean had felt the weight of responsibilities at way too young an age, and so he found himself pushing down, pushing away anything that would get him a scoff, or worse yet, the dreaded word, “disappointment.” What were the excuses these days? It’s that generation, right? They just didn’t know any better.

Cas inhaled audibly before he asked, “I still don’t see the correlation between your father and the bar.”

It was difficult to put into words, how the hell was anyone supposed to make sense of a fear that was both something he repressed for as long as he could remember, and something that brought him closer to his dad, giving them something to connect over? “There’s varying degrees of homophobic dicks, you know that, right?”

Cas appeared confused by that, his eyebrow furrowed before he looked at the rainbow again. His voice was hesitant when he said, "So... your father disapproved and you.... you're still influenced by that disapproval."

“He wasn’t like… the kill a gay dude type, he just saw them, gay guys, as weak. I don’t really think he hated them, he just…” Dean rifled a hand through his hair as he tried to organize the boggle set that held the words he needed to use. “Gays were only good as a butt of a joke, or an insult to make a kid stop playing with the doll his first real friend gave him.”

"You're your own man now, Dean. With your own thoughts." Cas tilted his head. "Don't you think it's time you trust your own feeling of what’s right or wrong, instead of listening to others?"

There was only one problem with that, what he truly felt had nothing to do with right or wrong, but to do with a part of himself he never allowed outside of the dark little box stuffed into the back of his mind. Dean wrung his hands around Baby’s steering wheel. “I dunno, Cas. I’ve made some pretty bad calls when listening to my own thoughts.”

_ Ah. Good ol’ deflection. _

"That doesn't mean that you're always wrong. Everyone makes mistakes," Cas replied before he smiled softly. "Thank you for taking me out with you. It is really a nice day."

  
Dean tapped the steering wheel, annoyed with himself that it turned out to be to the tune of  _ Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  _ Despite the internal cringing, he flashed Cas a smile in return and said, “It is.”


	3. First Date

**First Date**

Their new case had led Dean and Cas to Plaid, Washington. Sadly Sam was still recovering and Jack was keeping him company, so Dean and Cas had to do this job alone. It seemed like a bigger case than they planned for, and Cas wished they both were here.

Apparently Plaid had a massive community of supernatural creatures that lived in harmony with the humans. The victims in this case seemed to be humans and supernatural creatures alike. Dean had quickly figured out that the killer was targeting couples. But not just any type of couple, couples that consisted of one human and one supernatural entity. 

Cas wondered why the killer was doing it. All the victims were mutilated, and he could practically feel the hate when he looked over the local newspaper. "How do we find this person?" he asked hesitantly as he looked up just as Dean took a huge bite out of his burger.

Dean’s nostrils flared in evident annoyance. After making a performance of chewing his food, including eye rolls and a lot of pointing, he swallowed and said, “What’s this guy hunting, Cas?”

“Interspecies couples,” Cas replied with a frown. Dean had already told him that.

There was a beat of silence as Dean looked at him expectantly. Whatever response Cas may have had, Dean had apparently grown impatient. “And what’s the best way to lure out a monster?”

"With bait..." Cas wondered what they could use as bait though. It seemed wrong to just use a couple from this town. That's when it occurred to him. "Us?"

Dean snapped his fingers and pointed his digit in a ‘gun’ at him. “Winner winner, chicken dinner.”

"But how?" Cas leaned forward trying to understand the strategy. "Are we going to pretend we want to live there?"

“Yup,” he barked as he pulled a piece of paper from his jacket, unfolding it to reveal a print out of a rental home listing from Craig’s List. Cas didn't know who this Craig person was or why he had a list, but it was good that Dean had friends that could provide them with information like this. “We’re moving in together,  _ honey.”  _ His tone was almost bored before he grabbed his burger again and took another bite.

Cas wasn't sure how he felt about Dean's new nickname for him. He sighed and rolled his eyes before he grabbed his own burger and bit into it, despite Dean probably having planned to eat that as well. It didn't taste great though, so he instantly regretted his decision. He wasn't sure why he always tried to pretend he was human. At least in this town he really wouldn’t need to. "And you're comfortable with pretending to be in a homosexual relationship?" he asked quietly, remembering their conversations over the past few days.

Dean sighed as his shoulders almost slumped. “Look, the thing is, it’s the job. I’ve done undercover couple crap before, you and I were the first to catch this case, and while I’ve got my hang ups when dudes hit on me, I don’t got that worry with you. I think we can pull it off.”

Of course Dean wouldn't worry. The hunter saw him as his best friend... brother even. Dean didn't know that Cas's feelings for the hunter ran a lot deeper than that. Not that he would ever mention it. So he just nodded. "That makes sense, and I will try my best. I don't have much relationship experience though... only what I’ve picked up from television."

“Then we’re in the same boat,” he said with a laugh. Dean grabbed his glass and held it out for Cas to reciprocate in kind. “To our first date.”

Cas gave him a little smile before he clinked their glasses together. "I’ll try to be a good boyfriend," he repeated dryly.

Dean practically snorted as he took a swig of his Dr. Pepper. “Just don’t hog the blankets.”

"Dean, I don't even sleep," Cas reminded him. Which wasn't true. When he was exhausted from using too much of his grace, he needed to sleep. It was annoying.

That was met with another snort of laughter as he shook his head. “Joke, Cas. We’re not sharing a bed anyway. Got us a two queen as we ‘look at places’.” Cas wasn’t sure if it was for his benefit, but it was surprising Dean used his fingers to air quote.

"One bed would have been enough." Cas had told Dean that before, but for some reason Dean always seemed to forget that Cas didn't need a bed. He would just sit somewhere through the night and watch over Dean. "When will we look at the rental places from your friend's list?" he asked before taking a sip of his cola. He liked it. It almost only consisted of sugar.

Dean pulled out his phone. “In about forty minutes, so when we’re done here, I’ll brief you on your new identity.”

Cas folded the newspaper and nodded when they were approached by the waitress again. "Everything okay, sweetie? You barely touched your burger."

She gave him a very friendly smile and Cas didn't know how to react for a moment. "I… um… I'm not that hungry. But don't worry… my boyfriend will eat the rest."

Dean clearly took that as invitation to reach across the table and snatch up his burger, letting out a soft growl before he took an enormous bite and grinned at her, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

The waitress laughed good naturedly before looking at Cas again. Her expression turned soft and empathetic. "You know… you don't have to hide in this town."

Cas hadn't expected her to notice he wasn't human, because he could clearly feel that she was. Was he that bad at blending in? His worry must have been obvious because she quickly added, "Don't worry, I have superna-dar."

"What?" Cas asked, feeling a little breathless.

She grinned before she explained, "Like gaydar, but for supernatural beings."

Her amusement was contagious. "I see. You're right… I'm not human… and my boyfriend–" Dean was still devouring Cas's hamburger with a growl. "Is a bear, I guess?"

“Rawr,” he murmured around a mouthful of masticated burger.

He wasn’t sure how Dean could still look so charming, even though his eating habits were so animalistic. The waitress laughed and touched Cas’s shoulder, her voice soft, “Enjoy the rest of your date and… just be yourself.”

Cas gave a grateful smile and a nod before the waitress left their table. For some reason he felt the need to sit a little straighter now, less cowered. “A date,” he murmured as he realized what she had assumed about them eating together.

“Yeah, man. Our first date,” Dean repeated before he took another bite.

Cas couldn't help but smile again. For some reason Dean's comment caused a warmth to bloom in his chest. "Dean," he sighed before grabbing a napkin and handing it to Dean, to wipe the sauce he had all around his lips. "We're not a human and supernatural being couple if you're perceived as a bear."

“Still interspecies, right?” 

"I think the internet would call me a 'pelty'–" No, that was not the right word. "No, a 'furry' then."

Dean barked out a laugh. “I don’t know if I do or don’t want you to explain how you know what a furry is.”

"Please go with option two," Cas simply replied when he remembered the weird night he found 'fanfiction' on the internet. "I prefer you to be one hundred percent human."

Dean smirked. “I’ll try.”

Cas mirrored the smirk before he leaned forward, asking, "So what is the difference between a date and just sitting together and eating?"

Their waitress stopped by the table at that moment and placed the bill on the table. “No rush, boys. Whenever you’re ready.”

Dean snatched up the bill and held it out to Cas. “Instead of going Dutch, you get to pay for my meal.”

Cas tilted his head. Cas always paid for their meals because he could use his grace to conjure money. Since the day Dean had found out about that, it was always him who had paid for everything when they were all together on a case. He scratched his forehead and grabbed some money from his trench coat pocket, wondering if he and Dean had always been on a date then.

Dean winked at him. “Thanks, Babe.”

Cas's heart skipped a beat and he chastited himself for reacting like this. This wasn't a real date. Dean was just pretending and making a joke. 

For a short moment though, he let himself feel the joy of pretending that this was real.


	4. Identity Shenanigans

**Identity Shenanigans**

When they reached the motel room, Dean pulled out his duffel and started rifling through it. He pulled out his old AC/DC shirt and an old pair of jeans that he’d eyeballed to fit the angel. 

He approached Cas, who was seated at the table, reading through the file and backstory he’d typed up before they left the bunker. Dean dropped the clothes on the table. “You should change.”

Cas looked up from the file. "Cassiel?" he asked in surprise, ignoring the clothes. "Was that a typo, or is that my new name?"

“New name. On the off chance there’s any assholes who’ve heard of Castiel and the Winchesters, but at least this way, I can keep calling you Cas,” Dean clarified as he moved to sit across from him. “Found the info from some old book in the bunker. You’re the angel of solitude and tears apparently.”

"Cassiel was an angel with a very specific task. He watched over kings that died." Cas sighed before he gave the clothes a long look, his fingers sliding gently over the AC/DC logo. "He was very bored in the modern age. Less kings. He is dead now."

“And thankfully, most people don’t know that.” Dean leaned back against the chair. “And I’m Flynn Rider, your boyfriend, and the man that showed you you don’t have to be the angel of solitude.”

"That's... very romantic," Cas replied dryly before he started to open his tie and pull it through his collar. "Flynn."

Dean just hoped nobody else caught the Disney reference. “So, how’d we meet?”

Cas shrugged off his trench coat and suit jacket before he started to unbutton his shirt. "I fell like all the other angels. And you found me, confused and injured, at the side of the road," Cas's voice was hesitant for a second, a shadow of guilt rushing over his face. "And you helped me adjust, and in that time we fell in love with each other."

Dean reached out and grasped his wrist. “How many times have I got to tell you that wasn’t your fault? Metatron tricked you, and if it hadn’t been you, it would have been another angel.”

Cas scoffed and shook his head. "No, it had to be me. And it was my grace that was used for the spell. I should have listened to you. You asked me to wait until I knew more, and I was so eager to help... so stupid." He shook his head before shrugging off his shirt completely as he stood up, revealing tan and muscled skin.

Dean instantly forced his gaze away. It was only fair, right? If a woman started undressing, he would do the same thing, and there was no time to unpack what that meant. “Do you blame me for jumpstarting the first apocalypse?”

"Of course not," Cas grumbled, his voice muffled for a moment, and Dean caught in the corner of his eye that Cas was pulling the shirt on. When he turned around, because it was finally safe to look, Cas's hair was a total mess. 

The urge to card his hand through it was overwhelming, so he stuffed his hand into his pocket. “I no more started the apocalypse than you caused the fall.”

He could see Cas shaking his head slightly before he sighed and held up his hand. “Do I look to your liking now?”

What a loaded question. “You look less like a tax accountant.” Dean was a little weirded out by the fact he felt a warmth of appreciation at seeing Cas in his clothes.

Cas looked down at himself. “What about my pants? Can I keep wearing them with the t-shirt?”

_ Fuck. _ Not without looking like a total dweeb. “No, it’s why I grabbed you a pair of jeans.”

Cas gave the jeans a thoughtful look before he finally grabbed them and went into the adjacent bathroom without another word. When he came out after a few minutes he looked... so casual and human. He held up his arms. "Better?"

Dean nodded dumbly, annoyed by a certain bodily reaction that made him glad his jeans didn’t hug his groin. He pushed his forearm in front of his crotch against the wooden chair, just to be safe. “Yeah,” he finally answered.

When Cas bent over to fold his clothes into his duffel bag, he involuntarily showed off how much the jeans hugged his ass. "I'm ready to look at the new potential home for us...  _ Flynn _ ."

Dean swallowed dryly as he stood up and grabbed his keys, trying to not look at the angel. “Then let’s shake a leg, Cas.”

Cas furrowed his brow before he shook one of his legs. “Like this?”

Suddenly the tightness he was feeling, the overwhelming anxiety as a certain box was failing to keep the light out, ebbed away. Dean couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head and clapped his hand on Cas’s shoulder. “And that’s why you’re my best friend.”

Cas gave him a wide smile. All teeth and brightness. "Because I can shake body parts?" he asked with a clearly amused tone in his voice.

“Absolutely. That’s the only reason.” Dean couldn’t help but mirror Cas’s smile. He held the door open for him, taking a little bow as he did. “After you, Babe.”

“Thank you, honey,” Cas replied a lot more smoothly than Dean had anticipated.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up with how impressed he was. As he followed the angel to Baby, he couldn’t help but appreciate the ease of the smile on his face. Cas looked relaxed, in a way Dean was sure he’d never seen before. It was… kinda breathtaking. “Any time.”

There was this calmness between them as they shared companionable silence along the relatively quaint streets that reminded him of a  _ Leave it to Beaver _ type of neighborhood. Somehow  _ Pleasantville  _ existed in the United States, and its residents lived in a Utopian future that was instantly suspicious.

When they pulled up to the house, behind a small park that had a pond and a family of ducks, Dean stepped out of the car and let out a low whistle. The house was almost a little colonial, it even had a friggin’ white picket fence. “No way this is in our price range.”

Cas looked incredibly impressed. "This is beautiful." He reached out to Dean's hand, grabbing it. "Do we get a tour?"

Dean nodded, ignoring the flare of warmth as he just went with Cas’s undercover PDA. “The landlord should be inside,” he said as he pulled Cas with him by their joined hands toward the front door. He rapped a couple of times, surprised at the almost ease he felt still holding Cas’s hand.

The door swung open and an older guy with exceedingly long canines answered the door with a bright smile. Having been a fang once, Dean could sometimes sense when they were around.

“Flynn, right? I’m Craig,” he said as he held his hand out for Cas to take first.

“I’m Cas, this is my boyfriend Flynn. It’s very nice to meet you,” Cas replied smoothly as he shook the guy’s hand. 

Craig drew back when a flash of recognition crossed his features. “Seraph, right?”

"Yes," Cas replied hesitantly. "And you're a vampire."

That was met with another grin, baring his teeth. “You bet I am.” Craig chuckled and nodded as he stepped aside to allow them in. “You’d be the first angel here.”

"Not many of us stayed on Earth after the fall," Cas explained as they followed Craig through the big front door. "I found love, so of course I stayed," Cas added after a moment with a soft tone in his voice.

Dean was damn impressed. Cas wasn’t always the greatest actor, but he’d been getting better over the years. Maybe he shouldn’t worry as much about his best friend. 

Craig nodded. “Do you mind if I ask how that happened? I mean, we didn’t think your kind knew how to feel anything. No offense.”

"It's a common misconception. I think the ability to love is something we all have in common, no matter supernatural or human," Cas replied as he squeezed Dean's hand and looked up at the high hallway ceiling in awe. "This house is beautiful."

“Yeah, and let me give you a tour…” Craig started as he waved for them to follow him to the kitchen. 

The whole situation was a little bizarre, the loss he felt in that moment. The fact that this was a reality that wasn’t in their future. And Dean usually found himself at peace with that, but sometimes he’d get sideswiped by a situation that hit a little hard. The reeling never lasted long, but that didn’t make the punch any less painful.

Cas leaned closer to Dean when they entered the massive light flooded kitchen and whispered loud enough for Craig to hear, "I love this kitchen, honey. I'm glad Craig put it on the list."

Dean pursed his lips to not laugh outright. Without even thinking about it, he cupped Cas’s cheek and flashed him a smile. “You make me happy, angel.”

Cas leaned into his hand with a reciprocal smile before he suddenly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Dean's cheek. "I feel the same," he murmured against his cheek before he drew back.

Dean swallowed dryly, a little stunned by that move. A million thoughts started circling through his head, finding himself lost in a little daze, drowning in a cavern echo of the words, “Cas kissed me,” over and over. Stuck between a rock and a violent panic attack.

_ Fuck. _


	5. AU (Free for All)

**AU (Free-for-all)**

Warm sunrays tickled Cas's nose as he lazily stretched his arms and legs on the hammock, softly rocking back and forth. For a few seconds he had forgotten what he was doing here, until he remembered. Him and Dean were checking out a supernatural spa that gave out coupons for interspecies couples. Which could be a good hunting ground for the murderer to find his victims. So they both agreed to do a consensual Djinn retreat at the, “I Dream of Djinnie Spa,” to relax. 

Cas knew the world he was seeing wasn't real, but since it was showing him his deepest wish, he couldn't help but to enjoy it. 

He was in a garden full of flowers and a few bees. But it wasn't just any garden. It was the one that belonged to the expensive house he and Dean had toured earlier. 

When he blinked against the sun, he could see Dean approaching with two drinks in his hand, and a happy smile on his face. It was Cas's favorite expression of Dean's and he wished he could see it constantly etched into the hunter's features. The sun highlighted his freckles and eyes, making them shimmer and Cas knew he would never get enough of just watching Dean. "Hello, Dean," he greeted with a soft smile.

“Mornin’, sunshine,” he said as he handed him a drink and dropped himself in the chair next to Cas, draping his legs over Cas’s lap.

Cas took a sip and it tasted perfect, not like molecules at all. Just sweet and fresh at the same time. "Your feet are a little cold," he stated with a grin, putting his drink down on the small table on the grass before he grabbed Dean's bare feet to feel them with his hands. 

Dean chuckled and leaned forward. “It’s too nice to wear shoes and socks,” he defended as he waved his finger at Cas to come closer.

Cas sat up in the hammock and leaned in. "Do you want to come in here, too?" he asked, already making some space. The hammock was big enough for the both of them, and he was sure his figment of Dean would enjoy the sentiment. Cas really wanted to see more of that smile.

Dean nodded as he shifted his legs. He placed his glass on the table and proceeded to crawl into the hammock, half draping himself on Cas before he settled at his side. Dean’s left leg was slotted between Cas’s legs, hand braced against his chest as he nuzzled his nose against Cas’s cheek. “Much better,” he hummed.

Cas's heart was beating so hard he feared it would jump out of his chest. He realized in that moment that in this dream world. Dean was his  _ real  _ boyfriend, not just pretend. 

Well, in a way it was still pretend since none of this was real. He tried to relax against Dean's warmth, slowly sliding one arm over Dean's waist to hold him. This was perfect. Like nothing Cas had ever felt before. 

His stomach was full of bees and he felt a myriad of emotions and sensations. He was relaxed, and excited, and happy all at the same time. He really wished he could stay here but… this wasn't real. "If you put your feet between my legs, they will warm up quicker," he murmured, feeling breathless from so much intimate contact.

“That right?” he asked, eyebrows quirked in his evident amusement. Dean cupped Cas’s cheek and turned his face, leaning in without hesitation, a lazy and loving kiss pressed to his lips.

His instincts completely overtook every rational thought when he felt and tasted Dean's lips. He hummed in surprise as he pulled Dean closer, his lips parting to deepen the kiss.

Dean hummed and pressed even closer, his head tilting slightly as his tongue tapped against Cas’s in a playful dance.

It felt incredible, and Cas couldn't help himself from pulling Dean closer and on top of him, making the hammock rock dangerously. He needed to feel more. It was so addictive.

Dean chuckled against his lips. “We almost broke this damn hammock last time we fucked in it…”

His heart skipped a few beats and an involuntary moan slipped from Cas's lips. Imagining having sex with Dean was just too much for his mind to handle in that moment. "Oh, uhhh," he breathed out. "Maybe we should… um, slow down then?" A voice inside of him was screaming to use the opportunity and experience that he always secretly wished he could. But still, Cas was hesitant. His feelings for Dean were already off the charts. What if it got worse after knowing how perfect it would feel to have sex with Dean?

“Or we could take this inside?” he offered as his hand slipped between them to cup Cas’s groin.

Cas bucked into his hand, chasing the feeling on instinct. He wanted more. It was so incredibly tempting to undress Dean and explore more of him. Different voices were battling inside of him, telling him that he should do it because this wasn't the real Dean anyway, while at the same time telling him he shouldn't go there, because it would only end in disappointment when he woke up. "Yeah, we should," Cas finally uttered, his raw instincts making the decision for him.

Dean grinned and pressed a playful bite to his lips as he shoved himself up and stepped off of the hammock. He pulled his shirt off in one fluid movement, tossing it to the side as he waggled his eyebrows at Cas. Dean’s hands dropped to his belt as he walked himself backwards to the patio door. “What’re you waiting for?” he asked as he pulled open his jeans and slipped a hand beneath the band of his underwear.

It wasn't easy to get out of the hammock while being distracted by such a tempting and arousing sight, but Cas thought he still managed to be at least semi graceful about it. He quickly closed the distance between them, grabbing Dean's hips as he walked him backwards. "Let me help you with your jeans."

Dean looped his arms around Cas’s neck. “Such a gentleman.”

He didn’t know where the desire to lift Dean into his arms, and carry him over to a warm and light colored bedroom, came from. He laid Dean down on the bed, his fingers stroking over Dean’s bare chest and stomach before his fingers found the hem of his jeans, opening his button and zipper. Cas took his time removing Dean’s jeans, leaving the man in just his underwear. 

Cas licked over his lips as he stared at the massive bulge, a clear indication of want. He wished he could see this in the real world. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed out, his gaze wandering over all of the freckles that were painted on every inch of Dean’s skin. 

“Sap,” Dean teased as he yanked Cas in for a needy kiss, hands fumbling at Cas’s jeans.

Cas used the moment of distraction, Dean focused on opening his pants, by removing his own shirt before he helped Dean with the rest. The moment his pants were off, Dean pulled him onto the bed and into another deep kiss. 

Cas couldn’t believe this was really happening.

And as Dean’s hand just slipped past the waistband of Cas’s boxers, everything faded to black, like a light being turned off. There was some rustling in the background and he blearily opened his eyes to the Djinn, flashing him a good natured smile. “Your session is up, Cassiel.”

The protest almost escaped his lips, but he was able to refrain from voicing his frustration. Maybe this was for the best. He swallowed hard and sighed before he nodded at the Djinn. "Thank you. That was very… beautiful."

The Djinn nodded and helped him up before leading him back to the hallway of the spa where he would meet Dean. Cas felt incredibly embarrassed when Dean left another room, walking towards him. He couldn’t even meet Dean’s eyes. “Hello, Flynn,” he said, glad he remembered their cover in the last second.

Dean cleared his throat and said, “Heya, Cas.” His voice was quieter than usual.

Cas rubbed the back of his neck. “So… How was your… um, dreamworld?” Why did he ask that? Even Cas knew this had been an extremely dumb, strategic error.

“Cool,” Dean clipped as he ducked Cas’s gaze and pulled out his car keys. 

He could have stopped right there. Let them drive back to the motel without mentioning this ever again, but instead he found himself asking, "Cool how?"

Dean, still refusing to look at him, simply said, “I was Batman.”

_ Oh.  _ Cas didn't know why that was incredibly disappointing. "That's... cool," he murmured when they got into the car.

“Yeah,” Dean agreed, “real cool.” There was a beat of tense silence, only broken by the sound of Dean sliding into the car’s front seat and slamming the door shut.

Cas leaned his head against the window. There were no warm sun rays outside, and in that moment he really missed the hammock. Buying one would probably be the closest he could get to having a part of the beautiful dreamworld in his reality.


	6. Discovery

**Discovery**

For the first time in about five days, since they’d started this damn case, Dean found himself with a good forty minutes to himself. Cas was following up on a lead he got from a really chatty skinwalker. And just to guarantee at least an extra fifteen minutes, he tasked the angel with picking up dinner. Dean had given him a relatively complicated order, which meant if (and when) the cooks screwed it up, Cas would likely ask them to remake it, because he was such a damn perfectionist.

Which meant Dean had the sort of time he needed for a certain first in his life.

The Djinn spa had fucked him up. In ways he had never had to address, in ways he thought he would never get to experience.

Dean settled himself against the mattress, having stripped his pants and underwear entirely. After bracing a pillow behind his head, he closed his eyes and allowed the memories of a make believe world into the forefront of his mind's eye.

Apparently, they had ended up renting that colonial place that was way out of their price range. Dean was standing at the sink, peeling potatoes. A heated breath ghosted against the nape of his neck, and he laughed as he pressed against unexpected heat. “Hey, Cas,” he had greeted the angel without any fear, any anxiety, any repressed emotions clawing their way up his throat.

Cas pressed his lips against Dean's neck, his arms snaking around him to the front, where quick and clever hands opened his belt. "Hello, Dean," he rumbled against his skin.

While his consciousness was technically awake, there was this soothing calm that made Dean melt into the ministrations. He hummed and tilted his head to press a kiss to Cas’s cheek, a freedom he had never felt within his heart.

Meanwhile, Cas had been busy opening Dean's jeans and pulling them down together with his underwear. His pants were hanging around his knees as Cas pushed him forward against the kitchen counter. "Do you have any idea how crazy you make me, just standing there?" Cas breathed against Dean's neck before his strong fingers kneaded Dean's ass cheeks.

Dean couldn’t contain the groan that erupted. He dropped the peeler and potato as his hands gripped the counter. “My plan worked,” he breathed out. His relaxing against the angel was completely organic.

"I should really punish you for distracting me with your evil temptation plans." Cas softly bit Dean's earlobe before he roughly spread his ass cheeks. A slick finger circled Dean's hole, pushing in a few moments later.

The sensation was intense, this beautiful marriage of pain and exquisite pleasure, whiting out his vision for a deliciously brief moment. “Oh, fuck,” he moaned, voice unabashed and almost needy.

“That’s exactly where this is going,” Cas growled as he pushed deeper, crooking his finger.

Dean gasped, he had never felt anything like it. Not that Dean wasn’t game to experiment, but a straying finger during a blow job wasn’t the same as what was about to happen. And the fact that he was so into it was pretty damn telling. “I like this side of you,” he confessed.

"I know," Cas growled as he worked a second slick finger into him, opening him up. "And I like when you're pliant like this. Ready to take me."

The pleasure was intensifying, his body relaxing as he arched his hips against the angel. “I can’t wait to feel you,” he confessed. And he meant it.

Cas pressed his lips against Dean's neck as he worked a third finger in and started fucking the digits in and out. "I can't wait to come in you," he groaned, his voice deep and breathy.

The imagery that conjured caused Dean’s cock to twitch with interest. It was such a delightfully filthy concept, and he desperately wanted to know how it felt. “Please, Cas…”

Cas pulled his fingers out of him, groaning as he held him in place with one hand on Dean’s hip. A moment later, Dean could feel the blunt big head of Cas’s slick cock pushing at his hole. “Fuck,” Cas cursed lowly before he grabbed both of Dean’s hips, manhandling him until Dean was bent over, and he started to push into him.

And just like the damn fantasy world, as the sensation and images faded to black, Dean was brought to the here and now, one hand wrapped around his cock, the first two fingers of his other hand deep inside his hole. Dean pushed on with the fantasy, imagining Cas in place of his fingers, when he struck an area deep inside that caused a tidal wave of pleasure to course through him.

Dean gasped as he came all over his stomach, still reeling from one of the most intense orgasms of his life. As he caught his breath, a feeling of dread washed over him.

“Fuck. I’m a little gay for Cas.”


	7. Underground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TREX! You might not wanna read this chapter. <3<3

**Underground**

While Cas was out to get dinner for Dean – it had taken longer because the cook kept messing up and Cas needed it to be perfect – Cas had met a very chatty fairy who had talked to him about the recent events that shook the town. 

The community here saw themselves as peace loving and the murder cases… no one could possibly understand why they were happening. Tension was high, and when Cas mentioned he and his boyfriend wanted to settle here, the fairy became even more friendly. It was almost too much.

But it got Cas what he needed, and had led Dean and him to an underground cave structure the local geologist was surveying. A local geologist who also happened to be a ghoul. According to the fairy, he had witnessed one of the murders. 

The underground tunnel was long and pretty dark, so Dean was using a flashlight to guide them. It didn’t light enough of the path, so Dean sometimes startled when his flashlight highlighted spiders that scurried away from the light. He also noticed that the more this was happening, the slower Dean became in his movements. "I could use my grace to give us more light?" Cas suggested, hoping it would ease some of the tension he was feeling from Dean.

“No,” Dean hissed, “I don’t wanna know how many spiders are around us.”

"Is not knowing not worse?" he asked curiously, because he didn't really understand how Dean’s spider phobia worked.

Dean held the light against his face to flash Cas an annoyed expression. “What’s the game plan here? Why would a gay couple be talkin’ to a geologist?”

"He is a geologist and I'm an angel. I'm as old as dirt… trust me. He will talk to me if I show interest in his study." Cas smirked, proud of himself for this idea. "Let's say Cassiel came here because he is really interested in rocks."

“And that’s different how?” Dean mumbled under his breath as he turned the flashlight back, a few more spiders scurrying away. Dean almost tripped over himself to stumble back.

Cas reacted on instinct and wrapped his arms around Dean to stabilize him. He didn't anticipate how good it felt to feel so much of Dean against his body. Knowing that maybe holding onto him for too long might be weird, he cleared his throat and reluctantly pulled his hands away from Dean's waist. "I could smite them all. You know I would do anything for you."

Dean held his gaze for a moment before he cast a wary look around. “I’m half tempted to let you.”

“Just say the word,” Cas murmured, feeling the sudden tension between them. His hand reached forward again to hold Dean’s arm. “I’ll watch over you.”

The way Dean’s lips curled in a grateful smile made Cas want to tap into his grace then and there. All the breath caught in his throat as the tension increased, this almost electrical buzzing. Dean carefully licked his lips as his gaze flickered down to Cas’s own.

An almost gravitational pull drew them closer, ever so slowly.

That was until a large tarantula fell against Dean’s face. He let out an earth shattering scream before he started flailing about, running past Cas out of the tunnel.

“Talk to the guy yourself!” he called out as he disappeared in the darkness.

Cas looked after him for a moment with a deep frown. He was sure he had just imagined it, and he was also sure the experience from the djinn spa was maybe influencing him, but... for a moment, it had felt like Dean was about to kiss him.

He knelt down over the tarantula, which was frozen in fear probably from falling on Dean. "If you just ruined our first kiss, I’ll smite you all on principle."

The spider scurried away in fear.


	8. Elevator

**Elevator**

They were having to hit the laundromat at least once a day because they were sharing the few sets of clothes Dean had bothered to bring, and he didn’t want Cas wasting his mojo. But Dean was over it, and had announced as such before he dragged the angel to a five story shopping center. Apparently, there was a cheap department store on the top floor, and it was about damn time Cas owned his own human clothes.

Not that Dean really minded seeing Cas in his clothes, but they needed to stop showing up wearing the same clothes. So, after what felt like sitting through all the boring parts of every eighties montage, Cas had finally agreed on a couple pairs of jeans, and some polos and tees, only a little bigger than his size.

He had a feeling Cas did that so Dean would be able to borrow Cas’s shirts in kind. As they reached the fancy two person elevator, he tapped on the button and cast a look at the bag Cas was carrying. “Still think you should’ve gotten that Superman shirt. To wear under your suit on the next case.”

The soft smile on Cas's face vanished and he looked at the floor. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to wear," he murmured before he sighed and added, "and you didn't allow me to buy the blue one with the bee on it."

Dean grasped Cas’s chin to draw his attention back up. “I forgave Superman a long time ago.” He gave him a pointed look. “And no. The bee shirt made you look like Pee Wee Herman.”

Cas tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes searching Dean's. "Who is Pee Wee Herman?"

At that, Dean barked out a triumphant laugh. “Got something new to add to our list.”

"Oh, no," Cas breathed out, but there was a barely there smile playing around his lips. "Is that another movie you're making me watch?"

Dean nodded, unable to stop himself from stepping closer, almost instantly triggering a flash of the memory of his Djinn spa treatment. He had almost reached out to draw Cas closer and that was all bad. He took a step back and cleared his throat. “Bet your ass.”

Cas gave him a bigger smile then and nodded when the elevator doors finally closed.  _ Damn, that thing was slow. _ Cas seemed to notice too. "In all the times you introduced me to television, I noticed that people often get stuck in elevators. What is that all about?"

“It’s a rom-com thing. Unless you’re Keanu Reeves, then it’s a terrorist bomber.” The elevator chose that moment to make a horrific mechanical groan. He narrowed his eyes at the left wall. Dean swore, if Fate was nearby...

Cas furrowed his brow in a way Dean just knew he only got half of his explanation. "So, it's romantic to get stuck in an elevator with someone?"

Dean shrugged. “I guess? I mean, I don’t buy it. I think most people would try to figure out how to get help, or get out. Too often the two people just accept they’ll be stuck for hours, and their passion can’t be contained.” He rolled his eyes. “I mean, it’s bullshit. If I’m into you, I’m not suddenly going to not be able to contain myself just ‘cause we’re in an elevator.”

"I think no situation would result in you not being able to contain yourself because of me," Cas replied dryly, fiddling with the label of one of his clothes in the bag.

Ironically, for once, Cas was way off base. Dean’s treacherous thoughts had been getting louder and louder since the damn spa. “Well, it’s not like you’re dying to bone down with any human.”

"Depends on the human," Cas replied pretty much instantly.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. Cas had never mentioned being interested in someone before, and the thought suddenly formed a rock in his stomach. “Which human?” He really didn’t mean for it to come out so accusatory.

Cas looked away then, his expression flustered. His voice sounded husky when he replied, "I... I don't want to talk about hi–the person... it..."

Knowing Cas was interested in a guy made things even worse. Dean let out a deep exhale. “Is it Sam?” Because after everything, it would be pretty fucked that this was the thing that finally caused a Winchester to commit fratricide.

Cas's eyes widened, and he looked genuinely appalled. "No! Of course not."

Dean relaxed a little, but Cas’s confession still didn’t sit well with him. “Crowley?” he asked as the shitty elevator started to lurch a little.

Cas squinted his eyes at him. "I'm not dignifying that with a reply."

“Is it someone I know?” Dean asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

“If I answer, will you stop asking questions?” Cas retorted, sounding a little frustrated.

Dean nodded as he relaxed his stance. The creaky elevator doors opened to the sounds of a woman screaming. It bordered on Banshee level pitch. Without hesitating, the two of them bolted from the elevator, Dean’s gun drawn.

There was a crowd gathered around the elevator next to theirs. When they pushed past the ashen-faced onlookers, they were greeted by a literal bloodbath. The poor bastard who had been in the elevator had been decapitated and mutilated. 

“Shit.”


	9. Closet

**Closet**

They went to the town hall that night, where people were gathered to discuss the town's situation with the mayor and police. Dean informed Cas he had an inkling the murderer would probably be there, maybe even selecting a new victim.

Cas was following the discussion with mild interest, scanning the area, when Dean told him to follow him. He had obviously seen something suspicious, so Cas quietly followed him through the hallway of the town hall and into a room that looked like a big office. 

Dean was looking at papers on the desk when they both heard sudden footsteps. Before Cas could react, Dean had pulled him into a closet. A closet that was narrow and pretty much left them pressed against each other. 

Cas tried not to breathe as the door to the office opened and they heard two people talking. Not their murderer as it seemed. The people were laughing, talking about a planned date night and stealing away from responsibilities. It was hard to pay attention when Dean was so close he could feel his breath against his skin.

The relief he felt when the couple left the room was only for a short time. The moment they left the room, he could feel a third presence enter the room. He held Dean back, who clearly wanted to get out of the closet. Cas shook his head before lifting his finger to his lips to indicate he could hear something. He could see the moment, on Dean’s face, when he realized there was somebody else in the room. Someone who wanted to be quiet and drew closer to the closet. Cas tensed up, ready to fight if the door was opened. 

Instead of that happening, he heard a faint click before footsteps receded and he could hear the outer door open and close again. The person was gone, and had locked them in the closet. “We’re locked inside,” Cas stated the obvious as he carefully tried to open the door. 

Dean quirked his brow in evident annoyance. “No shit?” He shook his head. “Can you mojo it open?”

Cas tried to concentrate on his power as he braced his hand against the door. The door worked like a conductor, making his grace flow through it without it having any effect. “There is a sigil, Dean. I can’t open it,” he murmured with a frown.  _ Why would anyone secure a closet with a sigil? _ Maybe the peace loving open society was just for the pamphlet, and deep down there were still people who mistrusted supernatural creatures, so they protected their property with spells.

Dean groaned in frustration as he tried to slam his shoulder against the door, which only caused him to stumble and fall against Cas, pinning him against the wall. “Fuck,” Dean grumbled.

Their lips came dangerously close, and Cas couldn't help but get lost in Dean's eyes. He stopped breathing, trying to think, but it was difficult with Dean so close, and touching so much of him. Cas cleared his throat, grabbing Dean's side to stabilize him. "How do we get out of here?"

“There’s a gun hidden in my boot,” he breathed out as he tried to reach for it, pressing his face into the crook of Cas’s neck as he lifted up his left leg.

A soft groan left Cas's lips as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment. "Can... um, can you reach it?" He wondered if Dean noticed that he was pulling him a little closer under the pretense of stabilizing him.

“No,” he grunted, the heat of his breath cascading down Cas’s neck.

Cas tried to calm his breathing and heart rate, but he was unsuccessful. "Is it getting warmer in here?" he murmured before he sighed. "I guess we have to wait until the next person comes in."

Dean grumbled in frustration as he tried to straighten his stance, but ended up slotting one of his legs between Cas’s. “How long before that happens?”

Cas breathed out a quiet moan. He needed to remind himself that Dean wasn't doing this on purpose. He channeled his frustration into his voice then, "I'm not clairvoyant, Dean."

Dean furrowed his brow as he looked at Cas. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just...” Cas inhaled deeply, hoping his face didn’t show how flustered he was feeling. “You’re hot, no… I mean...  _ it’s _ hot… warm in here.”

“You don’t usually feel temperature like that,” Dean said as he braced his palm to Cas’s forehead.

Cas's breathing hitched, from the contact as well as the fact that what he was feeling had nothing to do with the actual temperature in the closet. It was just Dean's closeness that was making it hard to think. Everything in Cas's mind was filled with images of leaning in and kissing Dean, just like in his dreamworld. He hummed and leaned slightly against Dean's hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he whispered.

Dean held his gaze for a beat as the tension increased. He licked his lips as his hand slid to cup Cas’s cheek. “You sure?” he asked, voice hesitant and slightly croaked.

He wasn't sure if the whispered, "Yeah," really made it across his lips as he leaned in closer, his eyes flicking from Dean's lips to his eyes as he mimicked the action, wetting his own lips.

Dean visibly swallowed before he cleared his throat, the pad of his thumb now gently caressing Cas’s cheek. “That’s uh, good…”

Cas hummed, his eyes fluttering closed at the soft touch of Dean’s finger. “Yeah,” Cas murmured as he looked up at Dean again, his fingers sliding up Dean’s back. “Dean…”

“Yeah, Cas?” he asked, voice impossibly soft as a gravitational force seemed to bring them even closer.

“Will… will you kiss me?” Cas just had to ask, his voice breaking from the tension between them. A tension that was palpable.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t draw back, he didn’t pull away his hand. There was a beat of deafening silence as the unknown of what could happen loomed over, of whether his question could have quite possibly ruined everything. But then Dean started drawing closer, his other hand resting at Cas’s neck as he closed the gap between them, a tender kiss now being pressed to Cas’s lips.

Cas needed a few seconds to react because his mind couldn't determine if this was really happening. But once he realized that this was actually happening between them, the walls crumbled and every emotion he had held back over the years, of loving Dean, poured out of him. He parted his lips as he pressed Dean against the closet door, deepening the kiss with one hand trailing to Dean's neck to hold him. Just like he had learned from the pizza man.

The soft, appreciative groan that escaped Dean’s lips between fierce kisses caused a shiver of pleasure to course down Cas’s spine. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’s neck as he met the urgency he felt.

Cas moaned, carding his fingers through Dean's hair before he used both hands to grasp Dean's face. "Dean," he breathed out against his lips. Lips that tasted way better than any fantasy.

Before Dean could respond, the sound of the door opening shattered their shared moment. Dean’s eyes widened as he called out, “Hey! Hey! Can you let us out?”

Everything happened in a flurry of movement that Cas couldn’t focus on, distracted by one sentence playing on a loop in his mind.  _ Dean kissed me. _ A woman in a blue dress opened the door of the closet, expression clearly surprised before she freed them.  _ Dean kissed me!  _

Dean told her something about a, "honeymoon period," and, "making memories," all the while Cas was still trying to process everything.  _ Dean kissed me. _

Cas finally smiled when they both stepped out of the closet.  _ Yes, Dean kissed me. _


	10. Coming Out

**Coming Out**

Dean was trying not to panic. He paced outside of their motel, Cas hanging out in the room. He needed time to think. He needed to figure out the jumble of emotions and confusion he was feeling.

There was no way Cas  _ didn’t  _ know why Dean needed a minute. Or twenty. And of course his phone had to start vibrating. Dean yanked it from his pocket and felt his annoyance deflate at seeing his brother’s name.

As he moved to lean against Baby, Dean swiped accept on the call and held the phone to his ear. “Hey, Sammy,” he murmured.

"Hey–" Sam paused, obviously having noticed something in Dean's tone. "Are you okay?"

Unable to find the energy to lie, he said, “Not really.”

"What happened?" Sam asked, his voice soft and empathetic.

Dean sighed and rifled a hand through his hair. “It’s nothing… it’s not connected to the case. It’s, uh… this is dumb, I should just go shoot something…” 

The frustration in Sam's voice was evident, "Dean, I know you're not big on talking, but it can help. And you can tell me things, you know? Maybe I can help."

Dean tightened his grip on his phone to stop his hand from shaking. He took a deep breath and turned to look up. “I mean... you know, right?”

"Know what?" It didn’t sound like Sam was feigning ignorance, he clearly didn’t know which direction this conversation was going.

“You know why I’m… why I’m such a dick about gay dudes, right?” Dean found himself holding his breath.

Sam sighed, but after a moment he replied, "Because you believe the bullshit Dad taught us about what being a man means."

_ Fuck.  _ This was so much harder than he’d ever imagined. And Sammy was a friggin’ bleeding heart hippie, the hair was proof of that… it didn’t make sense how scared he felt in that moment. And still… “Because I was scared Dad would… he’d know I… that I…”

He could practically hear the moment Sam got it. "Because you occasionally find a man attractive?" he asked in a soft tone of voice.

Dean let out a choked laugh. “Yeah.”

_ Fuck. _ He did it. He really fucking did it.

"Is it Cas?" Sam asked, the smile was evident in his voice.

Dean couldn’t help the relief he felt as he almost huffed. “We kissed in a fucking closet and I’m kinda freaking out about it.”

"About freaking time," Sam murmured before he asked, a little louder, "Why are you freaking out about it? It's Cas."

“It’s not… I’ve only just kinda accepted that I have gay thoughts,  _ and  _ that I’m into Cas. This feels… fast,” he confessed.

"It's not fast from my perspective, but I get that this is new... probably for the both of you. Maybe just take it slow?" Sam suggested.

Dean let out another sigh. “Slow sounds boring.”

"But it's safer than going too fast and freaking out over things you're not ready for. You repressed those feelings for a long time, Dean."

“My whole damn life,” he breathed out. Dean couldn’t believe it took being in his forties to… face something about himself he never planned to face.

"Well, I'm glad you finally made a move. You two have earned some happiness after everything. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... Don't think so much. Embrace it. Because after watching the two of you for years now, I really think Cas... he’s the one for you."

Dean let out a soft laugh. “Team Deastiel, huh?”

"Wasn't it Destiel?"


	11. The Movies

**The Movies**

Cas felt nervous. They had kissed, and Dean had told him he needed a minute and left the motel room. He wished he had more experience with relationships. He couldn't even fall back on movie references, because in all movies the story ended right after the people kissed. But what was supposed to happen next? Why had no one ever made a movie about that? Probably because it felt weird and awkward, and not as magical as everything that had led to the kiss. 

Cas sighed deeply. He just wanted to kiss Dean again. Indefinitely. But now he wasn’t even sure if Dean wanted to kiss him again. So many doubts and thoughts were battling in his mind for dominance, and he knew that most of the questions his mind supplied, only Dean could answer. 

He needed a distraction, so he switched on the television. Two people kissing was what greeted him on the screen. So he switched it off again, grumbling something about, “unhelpful televisions”. 

He flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. What if Dean was just playing a role and kissed him because they were pretending? Cas shook his head over that thought. Because they were alone in that closet. There was no need to pretend. Maybe he had only kissed him because Cas asked him to? He shook his head again. When had Dean ever done anything just because Cas asked him?

No matter how he looked at it, it really seemed Dean had kissed him just because he wanted to. Cas smiled as he crossed his arms behind his head, recalling their kiss now for the millionth time. He wanted more kisses from Dean, and his mind was already conjuring up a plan.

So when the door opened and Dean finally entered the room, the first thing out of Cas’s mouth was, “Would you go to the movies with me? Like a date?”

Dean dropped his phone and stumbled forward to pick it up from the floor. He looked up, expression almost helpless as he said an entirely dissatisfying, “What?”

"A date, to watch a movie?" Cas repeated with a wide eyed look. He had learned early on that this expression worked to persuade Dean into being more positive about things Cas said. "You like movies. I thought it would be a good idea."

“You…” Dean licked his lips as he moved to sit on the chair beside the small table. “You wanna take me on a date.” It wasn’t a question, Cas was ninety three percent certain of that.

Still, Cas replied with a nod before he slid to the edge of the bed, sitting exactly across from Dean. "Yes, that's what people do. Go on dates." At least he was pretty sure that being an appropriate reaction to the kiss they shared. Why was Dean so surprised about it? 

Doubt grabbed his heart again, causing a sinking feeling in his stomach. Maybe he had misunderstood. “Unless… you… um, don’t want to.”

The silence that hung between them was almost deafening, until finally, voice soft and hesitant, Dean said, “Sammy said we should take it slow.”

"Oh." Cas looked down at the bedsheet, wondering what exactly 'taking it slow' entailed before he realized something. He looked up at Dean in surprise. "You told Sam?"

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, ducking Cas’s gaze, expression almost embarrassed. “Uh, yeah… I needed… I didn’t know how to be after we, um… after we… you know.”

"Kissed?" Cas supplied helpfully.

Dean’s skin flushed a pleasant hue as he nodded. “Yeah. After we kissed. I just… I needed to process.”

Cas nodded slowly. Maybe Dean was just as surprised about this happening between them as Cas. That was something Cas could understand. "If it makes you feel better... I'm nervous about this, too."

Dean let out a soft laugh as he held his gaze. “So… what do we do now?”

"I don't know," Cas admitted after a moment. "If taking it slow means we can't go and watch a movie... what does it mean?"

Another beat of silence lingered between them as he waited for Dean to hopefully push them in some sort of direction, as opposed to their present stop at a broken traffic light. Dean let out a sigh and shook his head as he moved to stand up. He approached the bed and held his hand out for Cas to take. “Come on.”

Cas took Dean’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers, unable to contain the happy smile. "Where are we going?"

“The movies,” he said, returning the smile.


	12. Fairytale

**Fairytale**

The next lead got them staring up at the partially rusted sign and a half-lit marquee for a strip joint called The Fairy Tail. All the dancers were supernatural creatures, and one of the vics had been a frequent flyer at the place. Dean straightened his leather jacket and flashed Cas a half smile. “It’s only a  _ little  _ weird two gay dudes going to a strip club, right?”

Cas gave him a pissed off look and grumbled, "It's only weird if you stare at the half naked dancers."

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at that. They weren’t even inside yet and he was already in the dog house. But he had to admit, Cas was cute in green. “Are you jealous?” he teased.

And since Cas was way too honest, he replied with a growled, "Yes, of course."

Without hesitating, he stepped close as he cupped his cheek. It was damn freeing to do this without all of the bullshit anxiety. “It’s cute.”

Cas's grumpy expression morphed into a cute and flustered one in under a second. It was really fun to watch. "Uh… you're cute," he murmured before he sighed and looked away. "Just please don't… flirt with the women in there."

“Just ‘cause you asked so nicely,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss. He drew back and tucked Cas’s hair behind his ear. “What’s the name of the witness?”

Cas gave him a happy and dazed smile before he seemed to remember that Dean had asked him a question. "Um, Leliana… no family name. But those aren't custom for bard fairies."

Dean let out a groan. “Not a friggin’ fairy…” That whackadoo town all those years ago still gave him nightmares sometimes.

"Bard fairies are not like normal fairies. They can inspire people, like muses. But they aren't dangerous… more known for being… divas," Cas explained before he gave him an apologetic look. "She seems to think she will be the next to get killed. Everyone in the town is talking about her having a secret human girlfriend. And she was friends with the last victim."

There was something about Cas pulling off case talk that really made Dean feel a bizarre mixture of pride, and attraction. He pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Alright, let’s go see if she’d be willing to give one of us a dance in the VIP room.”

And there was the pout again.

“Cas, babe…” That was a slip, but he found he didn’t mind. And it made their cover more authentic, “unless you can think of a logical reason for us to get her alone to talk…”

The pout got even worse before Cas huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's go."

Dean flicked Cas’s bottom lip. “We’ll buy you the lap dance, will that make you feel better?”

Cas had turned around then, walking towards the door, so Dean wasn't sure if he really heard Cas's words right, "You're the only one I want a lap dance from."

While everything was still raw and new, and they were trying to take their time with the physical part of this new found relationship, Dean figured it couldn’t hurt to file that away for later use. After they paid the cover and stepped inside, the place looked like every sad strip joint, in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, he’d ever seen. A sort of layer of film and sadness over the glasses, while the patrons had the same greasy appearance of Ron Jeremy, with varying levels of fat.

“Can you sense her?” he asked Cas as he looked around. There was a girl on stage, halfway taking off her bra, and a couple of girls milling through the sparse crowd, likely checking if anyone wanted a private dance. 

Most guys who came to a strip club at this time were the ones trying to save a buck or two. Plus, there were usually free appetizers.

Cas looked around the room with a serious expression, and not for the first time Dean wondered how exactly Cas's world looked to him. He finally nodded. "Yes, the blonde woman near the bar."

Dean nodded and made his way towards the blonde and flashed her a charming smile. “Hey, uh… my devastatingly handsome friend here was wondering…”

“Save it,” she clipped with a stern quirk of her brow. “What do you want?”

“Lap dance,” Dean returned simply. 

Leliana nodded as she looked Cas over. Her eyebrow quirked again, this time in surprise. He had no idea if it was because he was so hot, or because he was an angel. Man, this town was weird. “Hundred for every twenty minutes. No more than two hours.”

Cas sighed deeply and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't." He gave her a pleading look. "We're actually here because we need your help. This is my boyfriend, Flynn. And we... we are very afraid that we could be next. I... I heard you are too, and maybe we can help each other out. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

The bitch expression immediately faded and her eyes widened. She frantically looked around and nodded. “Meet me in the VIP room.”

Dean shook his head as she quite literally disappeared. He gave Cas an impressed smile. “Nice call.”

Cas rubbed the back of his neck and looked very pleased with the praise. "Thank you," he murmured. "Not wanting a lap dance was a great motivator." 

Dean chuckled as he held Cas’s hand on the way to the VIP room. It was weird how much he enjoyed doing such a thing, something so… chick-flick. When they pushed past the curtains, Leliana was fully dressed, shouldering a light pink duffel. 

“I’m so glad I’m not crazy. Bridget thinks I’m imagining things,” she said, tone hurried, fearful. 

"Bridget is your girlfriend?" Cas asked.

She nodded, a fond smile curling her lips. “And knowing you feel the same means I’m not crazy. I’ve had this emergency suitcase packed for weeks. I’m gonna grab her and… I don’t know, we can start over somewhere else.”

Cas nodded before he empathetically touched her shoulder. "Maybe that is a good idea for you. But I'm an angel... and we want to stay and fight. Is there anything you can tell us, any suspicion about who is killing all the people?" 

“There was this guy… When Bambi…” Leliana visibly swallowed, “When she was still alive, he came in a lot. I don’t think he was… was anything, but I could never get a clear reading on him…”

Now we were getting somewhere.

“Why do you think it was him?” Cas exchanged a quick look with Dean, silently asking if Dean thought this might be the guy.

Dean nodded as he kicked his leg up on the chair and braced his elbow against his knee. “Can you describe him? Any info on the guy?”

Leilani nodded, tightening her grip around her duffel. “Yeah, he, um… He…”

As the sentence hung in midair, a loud, deafening crack and pop caused Dean to clutch his ears between his hands when suddenly he was engulfed in something… It was shiny and… Dean coughed and shook his head as he looked down. He was covered, head to friggin’ toe, in blood red glitter.

Dean turned to look up and found Cas, also frozen in place, covered in the gaudy glitter. 

Leilani was nowhere to be found, all that was left was her light pink duffel. 

Cas knelt down and picked up a silver bullet from the ground before he looked towards the open window. "Dean, she was shot."

_ Shit.  _ Dean immediately grabbed Cas and pulled him out of the room. After he pushed Cas off to the side once they were past the curtain, he pulled out his gun. “Cover me,” Dean said as he nodded for Cas to follow him to the back exit, that clearly led to an alley. 

He could feel Cas right behind him as he tried to concentrate on hearing footsteps, or any tell of someone on the run.

Dean quickly turned around to press a quick kiss to Cas’s lips before he held his gun out and stepped into the eerily abandoned side street.


	13. Graveyard Shift

**Graveyard Shift**

It turned out the killer had been a hunter with such an extreme hate for supernatural creatures, and humans who “fraternized” with them, that he decided to kill all of them, no matter if they harmed people, or were peaceful. 

They didn’t have to listen to his whole, “bad guy monologue,” as Dean called it, because Dean shot the man the moment he had aimed his weapon at Cas. A weapon that had been loaded with bullets smithed out of melted down angel blades. He shot him in the middle of the sentence, and right in his head. The hunter fell dead to the ground like a sack of potatoes before Cas looked over at Dean. “Good thing we’re already at the cemetery.”

“Not that this prick deserves a burial, but at least we can give these folk some peace of mind now,” Dean said as he kicked the corpse for good measure.

“I saw shovels by the caretaker's house. I’ll get them,” Cas offered before he went and did just that. Hopefully Dean, with all his years of experience as a hunter and making bodies disappear, would find the right spot to bury him. “So, where do we put him?” he asked as he handed Dean one of the shovels.

Dean smirked. “I saw an open grave, we can dump him there and bury him just enough. Save us some work.”

Cas bent down to pull the body into his arms. He carried him over to the grave and threw him into the hole, watching with satisfaction as he smacked into the ground, a sickening crack following. He gave Dean a soft smile, noticing that he was still covered in red glitter. "After this is over, we both need a long shower," he commented before he started shoveling dirt into the hole.

There was audible silence and he turned to see Dean, staring at Cas with his jaw dropped.

“What?” Cas asked in confusion before looking down at himself.

“You… you wanna shower with me?” 

Cas felt incredibly flustered in that moment. He hadn’t meant showering _ together,  _ more like a general statement. But now that Dean had said it, he couldn’t stop picturing it. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Um, I… I mean… that was not what I meant… but I wouldn’t mind.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. A myriad of emotions flashed across his face before he breathed out an almost inaudible, “Um… okay…” 

His breathing stopped for a moment, and he was sure whatever his heart was doing was not normal either. Cas swallowed dryly, trying to think of anything to say. "I... I, um, good. That's... I could help you with the, um, glitter," he managed to breathe out before he quickened his pace, shoveling the dirt into the grave. He wanted to get over this part of their night as quickly as possible.

After the body was completely, naturally covered, Dean wiped his brow and looked down. “With any luck, he’ll be buried under a supernatural creature’s body. Really stick it to this asshole.”

Cas couldn't help but laugh. "He is probably already enjoying the company of a lot of demons." He grabbed Dean's shovel and got lost in his eyes for a moment. 

Why the tension between them always rose to a level that was palpable, was a never ending mystery to Cas. It felt like Dean had the gravity of a star, sucking him in, and all he could do was surrender to the pull. "We should go back to the motel," he whispered because his voice was breaking.

Dean flashed him an almost shy smile and cupped his cheek. “And hit the showers.”

Cas wondered if he was blushing again. "Yeah, we are... very dirty."

“Yeah, and glittery,” he murmured as he pressed a gentle kiss to Cas’s lips.

Cas let the shovels fall to the ground before he hooked his finger into the belt loop of Dean's jeans, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. "You make me forget all my thoughts, Dean," he whispered against his lips.

Dean chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Cas’s neck. “Maybe we should take this away from all these dead bodies?”

Cas hummed and pulled him into another kiss. "Yeah," he finally agreed, "I'm really looking forward to that shower." He reached down to intertwine their fingers, pulling him away from the cemetery. 

“I’ve been thinking." Cas inhaled deeply before he gave Dean a quick look. "What do you think about a little vacation? Just you and me." 

At that Dean’s expression immediately shifted to something akin to fond. He nodded. “I’m game.”

Yes, they were standing over the grave of a man they had just killed, covered in glitter and dirt, but Cas still thought this moment was absolute perfection.


	14. Coffee Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome, Trex.

**Coffee Shop**

The case was over and they had just checked out. Dean needed a caffeine pick me up before they hit the road, so they found themselves at a quaint little cafe with a large emblem of a werewolf over the sign.

This town was really something else.

As they entered the cafe, Dean found himself gently grasping Cas’s hand as they approached the cashier. “Your usual?” he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Cas replied with a smile, squeezing Dean's hand. 

When they reached the counter, a guy, with eyes almost as blue as Cas’s, flashed them both a sweet smile. “What can I get you?”

Cas suddenly froze. Dean could hear his breathing hitch. At the same time, the eyes of the barista widened. "Inias?" Cas breathed out with a disbelieving tone in his voice.

The barista’s expression turned surprised as he quickly moved from behind the counter. “Castiel?”

Cas let go of Dean's hand and was suddenly hugging the other man. "I thought you were dead," Cas murmured before he leaned back and stared at the other man in a mixture of happiness and disbelief.

Inias _ (friggin’ weird name)  _ cupped Cas’s face in his hands. “I thought the same.”

Dean, annoyed at himself for how much his blood was boiling, stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Well, he’s not.” Dean was _ this _ close to prying the other angel’s mitts off of his angel.

Cas awkwardly stepped back from Inias and smiled brightly. "Dean, this is Inias. My oldest friend. And Inias, this is Dean. My… um, my…" He looked at Dean for help.

“His boyfriend,” he clarified, maybe a little more forcefully than necessary.

The way Cas happily smiled made it a little better. "Yes, my boyfriend."

Inias’s eyebrows shot up. “Dean Winchester.”

Dean immediately hushed the guy as he looked around. He gave him a pointed look. “The name’s Flynn here.”

"Oh, are you working undercover?" Inias asked quietly, but clearly sounding excited.

"Yes," Cas replied equally quietly, exchanging a look with the angel like they were sharing a personal joke. "But the case is over now and we're about to leave."

Inias’s happy expression instantly vanished. “But you just got here,” he said, tone disappointed.

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, we’ve been here for almost two weeks. We’re tired.”

"And we're going on a vacation," Cas said proudly before he added, "But you should give me your number. I would love to hear what happened in your life and why you're on Earth."

Inias grinned brightly, and grabbed a pen and paper. “Call me when you get home,” he said as he handed Cas the paper.

Maybe Dean could “accidentally” wash it when he did their laundry.

"I will. I really missed you, my friend. I'm very happy you're alive." Cas grabbed Inias's shoulder. "I almost thought… I would never be able to speak to one of my brothers again. But now… you're here."

Inias grasped Cas’s hand, and Dean had had enough. “Can we order now?”

The angel looked startled for a moment before he scurried behind the counter. "Of course! What do you want?"

He could feel Cas's gaze on him, he was probably wondering what was up with Dean.

Dean couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss to Cas’s cheek. “You don’t want me to flirt with strippers, you don’t flirt with pretty boy angels,” he whispered.

Cas's eyebrow went to his hairline. "Dean… Inias is only a friend. I'm not flirting. You're the only one for me."

“Damn right,” he said. After they finally put in their orders, and Cas said his goodbyes to the other angel, they found themselves settling into Baby to prepare for the long journey home.

In that moment, Dean saw a small chunk of glitter on the nape of Cas’s neck. Apparently, showering together had been a bad idea, since they spent most of it making out instead of actually getting clean.

He couldn’t help but smile fondly at the memory. Clearly they were going to have to try again. 

As Dean adjusted the rear view mirror, he kicked Baby into gear and watched as the town started to shrink behind them. He hummed. “Huh. So it really is possible. Humans and nonhumans living together like that.”

"We make it work," Cas replied softly before flashing him a very happy smile.

Dean reached out and grabbed Cas’s hand, returning the smile. “Yeah, we do.”


	15. Sleepover

**Sleepover**

Other than kissing, they hadn't done anything yet. It was becoming increasingly difficult, especially after that shower, to not ask Dean if they could continue this on the bed.

And there was something else Cas wished for. He wanted to go to bed with Dean, and stay with him until morning. He didn't need to sleep, but he knew he would be content to just lie there with Dean close or, even better, in his arms. So, when they settled on a motel for one of their first stops on their road trip across the country, Cas was happy to find it only had one room left, with a single king-sized bed.

Alone in their room, Cas leaned against the small table and watched Dean as he stretched his body after the long drive. "Can I stay with you in the bed?"

Dean’s eyebrows quirked in evident concern. “You that zapped? You need sleep?”

Cas shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just want… um, to be close to you."

Dean flashed him a smile and nodded. “I’m down.” He pulled off his shirt before dropping himself to the bed to untie his shoes.

That was easier than he had expected. Cas returned the smile and untied his own shoes before pulling off his new jeans, socks and t-shirt, leaving him in just his underwear. He sat on the bed next to Dean, suddenly feeling a little awkward, so he tried to distract himself by counting the freckles on Dean's shoulder.

Dean quickly divested himself of all but his boxers and he leaned over Cas to click off the lamp. He drew back part way and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Make out under the covers or on top?”

“Under,” Cas murmured as he helped pull the covers over them. It felt cozy and very intimate. He carefully wrapped one arm around Dean’s waist to pull him closer and into a deep and longing kiss. It had been six hours and three minutes since the last time he had felt Dean’s lips against his, and that was just far too long.

Dean hummed in contentment as he braced his hand against Cas’s chest, deepening the kiss as he curled into his side. 

Cas slid his fingertips gently over Dean’s side before he reached up and softly rubbed over Dean’s nipple, trying to gauge a reaction.

That was met with a soft groan, an appreciative sound, his groin pressing against Cas’s thigh as he raked his fingernails down Cas’s pec. Their lips never once broke contact. 

Cas’s breathing hitched and he couldn’t hold back any longer, pushing Dean onto his back and sliding on top of him. He braced one arm next to Dean’s head, using the thumb of his other hand to play with Dean’s nipple again. He was growing hard, straining against his underwear, and he knew Dean could feel Cas’s girth pressed against his leg.

“Yes,” Dean hissed as he arched up against Cas. He nodded into the kiss and spread his legs, causing Cas to slot right between them. 

Cas moaned and experimentally rocked forward, enjoying the feeling of his erection sliding against Dean’s over the fabric. It was intoxicating. “Dean, can I… we should um, undress completely.”

Dean was breathing a little heavy as he held Cas’s gaze. “Are you sure?” he asked, a little hesitant, but also a little excited. At least, he was pretty certain that was the case.

"Yes, I want to... I want to touch you, Dean. I... want to make you come," he confessed breathlessly before he added, "if you're ready for that."

While Dean’s eyebrows shot up, he quickly moved to push down his boxers, pressing a kiss to Cas’s lips before he tugged at Cas’s underwear. 

Cas took that as a resounding yes, and quickly got rid of his own underwear, not caring where it ended up as he pulled Dean into another passionate kiss. He groaned as both their erections were pressed against each other, but he knew it wasn't enough to just rock against Dean. So he reached down between them and wrapped his hand around their combined girth, starting to slowly stroke them.

“Oh, fuck, Cas…” Dean groaned out as his head fell back against the pillow. He let out a breathy laugh and gave him an impressed smirk. “Where’d you learn to do this?” He gasped out before he moaned again.

"Research," Cas groaned out, trying to focus on stroking them at a good rhythm. It was incredibly difficult, maintaining focus with the pleasure feeling so overwhelming, having Dean under him like this. "After the spa."

Dean hummed as he pulled Cas in for a desperate kiss, bucking against his hand, contributing to the rhythm. “Why then?” he breathed out between kisses as one of his hands clutched at Cas’s shoulder. 

Cas supposed it didn't make sense to not let Dean know about the nature of his djinn dream. "Because I dreamed about being intimate with you," he groaned as he quickened the pace. He already felt on edge.

At that Dean gasped, more in surprise than pleasure. “You did?”

"Uhhh, yes," Cas moaned. "It was perfect, but nothing in comparison to how you really feel."

“So did I…” Dean confessed through a drawn out moan, his grip tightening.

To say Cas was surprised at this revelation was an understatement. He laughed and drew Dean into another kiss, murmuring, "That makes me very happy. I hope it was a nice dream."

Dean gasped again as his body stiffened, coming over Cas’s hand as he drew him in for another fierce kiss.

Cas followed right after, moaning into their kiss. It took him a long moment before he was able to have a clear thought again. His forehead was pressed against Dean's and his breathing was ragged, heart hammering in his chest. When he looked up at Dean, Cas smiled. "Wow."

Dean chuckled, a tired and contented sound. “Ditto.”

Cas drew him into a lazy kiss before he used his grace to clean them up. He carded his hand through Dean’s hair with a soft smile as they both turned to lie side by side, facing each other. “Will you tell me what your dream was about?”

Even in the darkness, he could see his lover’s cheeks adopt a crimson hue. Dean started trailing his fingers along Cas’s arms. “I was, uh… making dinner, and you, uh… you took charge.”

"Took charge how?" he asked with a soft, but deliberately authoritative tone in his voice.

Dean hummed in appreciation. “You… kinda took me then and there… or well, you were about to. The dick djinn woke me up too soon.”

Cas hummed, trying to suppress the grin. "My dream was rudely interrupted, too. But you know what?" he asked before drawing Dean into another short but lazy kiss. "Now we can do all those things in reality without anyone interrupting."

“I like the sound of that,” Dean murmured as he pressed another tender kiss to his lips.

When Dean later fell asleep in his arms, Cas was still smiling, absentmindedly rubbing away some glitter from Dean's biceps. That stuff was really persistent. 

Cas couldn't wait to try out more sexual intimacy with Dean. So throughout the night he closed his eyes and tried to imagine all of the things he wanted to do with Dean.


	16. Amusement Park

**Amusement Park**

When he saw the signs for a little, po-dunk, poor man’s amusement park called the Enchanted Forest, Dean found himself taking the exit and trying to find the place. With obnoxious signs and images of Humpty Dumpty, Dean couldn’t help but flash Cas a smirk in response to his quirked brow. 

After finding parking, just a few stalls away from the large wall with an egg effigy, Dean jumped out and slapped his hand on the roof of Baby.

“Do I win best date?” They had been competing since their first night on this vacation road trip. Dean had yet to beat Cas’s surprise date, watching a reenactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral, at the actual friggin’ OK Corral. 

Cas glanced up at the egg with a suspicious looking expression. "Ask me again after whatever it is we're doing."

Dean chuckled as he grabbed Cas’s hand and started dragging him to the entrance. The place looked like a poor man’s Disneyland, not that they were ever able to afford to go to Disneyland. After buying the tickets and grabbing a map, he pulled it open. “What do you want to do first?”

Cas looked over his shoulder with a thoughtful expression. "This says, 'haunted house'." He pointed on the map. "Are you sure we aren't here for work?"

Dean shook his head. “Uh, uh. Remember? We promised no jobs on our vacation.”

Cas looked up at him with a smile before he appeared confused and rubbed his thumb over Dean’s ear. "There is glitter on your ear. How can there still be glitter?"

For fuck’s sake. It had been weeks at this point. He sighed. “Goddamnit.” Dean was pretty sure they’d be finding glitter on each other for a year. “Maybe we need to stop fooling around when we shower together, it’s distracting us.”

"I promise I will be more thorough next time," Cas replied dryly before he added, "I can't promise not to 'fool around' anymore." And yep, he was still using his hands to underline the air quotes. As if Dean didn’t already hear them.

Dean couldn’t help but smile. It was crazy how easily they slipped into this almost natural elevation of a comfort they shared for years, but now they got to also do it naked. The warmth he felt every time Cas flashed him a smile was steady, but there was a freeing feeling in knowing he could allow himself to appreciate the warmth. “It’s funny how much you like showers when you’re basically a cat with water.”

"I'm not a cat," Cas grumbled before he explained, "Angels dislike water in general because of our wings. They get really heavy when they are wet." He reached out to grab Dean's shoulder and gave him another smile. "So, all your waterbird comparisons in the past were actually very far from the truth."

Dean furrowed his brow. “You don’t have wings here though…”

"Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they aren't here. They are on a spectral wavelength humans can't perceive." Cas leaned closer and kissed Dean's cheek. "So, what do you want to do?"

“I vote rides first, then some junk food,” he said as he searched the map for the nearest ride. The Big Timber Log Ride was closest. He pointed to it on the map. “Whaddya say?”

"A boat ride," Cas commented with a smile before he nodded. "Yes, that sounds romantic."

Dean chuckled and wondered if he should break it to Cas that it was more like a water roller coaster… but then, he kinda wanted to see his boyfriend’s reaction. “You’re so easy to please.”

"I only need you to be pleased. The rest isn't important," Cas replied before grabbing his hand and squeezing it as they started to walk towards the attraction.

“The rest is important to me though,” he said as he gave Cas a pointed look.

"I know." Cas bit down on his lower lip before he gave Dean one of his killer puppy eyed looks. "Can we eat ice cream after the ride?"

Dean cupped his cheek. “How can I say no to that?”

Cas looked a little proud of himself. "I already know what I want to try this time."

“That right?” he asked as they somehow ended up in the line for the ride. Staring at Cas as long as he did clearly affected his situational awareness. Not that Dean minded.

"I’ve almost tried every flavor of ice cream. There are only a few left. Like pistachio, moccachino, and smurf," Cas explained. They quickly proceeded forward in the line. 

Dean chuckled. “And the winner of the next flavor is?”

"I thought I should try all three of them at the same time. That would be more efficient," Cas said when they arrived at the ride attendant and the quickly emptying logs. Cas's expression became suspicious. "The inside of the log is wet, Dean."

Dean nodded as he pointed to a group of people getting out of the log behind that one. It tipped, causing the water to splash high enough to get in. “See?” 

He felt a little bad, but Cas’s reaction would be worth it. He just knew it.

"Alright," Cas replied slowly before he asked, "Do you want to sit in the front?"

Dean smirked. “You scared?”

"Why would I be scared?" Cas asked in return, squinting his eyes at him. "Should I be?"

In that moment the ride attendant grunted an annoyed, “Get in or let the next couple go.”

Dean snorted and slipped into the second seat, leaving Cas the front. “You’ll be fine,” he assured.

Cas settled in front of Dean, flashing him a grimace over his shoulder as the boat started to slowly drift along the path. “I’ve sat on something wet, Dean.”

Now that they were on the ride, he decided to come clean. “Alright, we might get a  _ little  _ wet…” a partial truth still counted as truth.

“What do you m – oh, no!” Cas slid back, right into Dean’s arms. “There is a very deep drop coming, Dean!”

Dean pressed a kiss against the nape of his neck, trying to hide the small laugh threatening to escape. He wrapped his arms around Cas’s torso and held him. “I’ll protect you.”

“How?” Cas asked, his tone sounded suspiciously like fear. They reached the first drop and Cas made a quiet whimpering sound before the log rushed down the slope. The wave of water from the splash doused Cas completely, sparing most of Dean since Cas’s body had shielded him from the water. Cas went rigid in his arms, and mute.

Dean gently squeezed. “Babe, relax. It’s just a ride.”

Cas looked over his shoulder as the log progressed up a hill. His eyes were murderous as drops of water fell from his flattened hair. “Dean Winchester. You’re in deep trouble,” he growled.

Dean pursed his lips to try and prevent the smile from curling his lips. “Why? Isn’t this romantic?” he asked as he gently caressed Cas’s stomach.

"The definition of romantic is conducive to or characterized by the expression of love. I don't feel the love right now, Dean. Especially since you know my stance on water." He grumbled again. "The only thing I feel is we-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e..."

As the second, slightly longer drop struck, Dean finally did laugh as he held onto Cas. When they hit the water, Cas was instantly doused again. Dean’s hair only got a little wet. 

Even though Cas didn’t need to sleep, Dean had a feeling he’d be sleeping in Baby tonight, instead of their shared hotel bed. “Thankfully it’s gonna be a hot day,” he offered. 

Cas, now completely drenched, sat stock still, like one of the logs decorating the sides of the ride. "I will punish you for this. Like the pizza man with the babysitter."

“You get that only makes me glad I did it now, right?” Dean teased as he pressed a kiss to Cas’s neck. The final, and largest, drop was coming up, and it went through a dark tunnel, which meant Cas wouldn’t know about the drop until right before. Dean was definitely going to get punished.

When they entered the tunnel, he could feel Cas shifting to his side. "You like to get spanked?"

Dean leaned in close, breathing a husky, “only one way to find out,” in the angel’s ear. Cas definitely wouldn’t see the drop coming if he was distracted...

As he felt his angel shudder against him, Cas whispered back, "Oh, that is good to kno-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o..."

There was a brief flash as the positioned camera went off, Dean flashing it a smug smile and a finger gun just as they descended (and at a speed that even freaked Dean out a little).  _ Poor Cas.  _ He was definitely going to have to make it up to the angel. It was a thirty foot drop into a huge pool of water, and when they hit it, not a single soul on the damn log ride was safe. 

Dean got just as drenched as his boyfriend. He was really glad he had a spare cell phone in the damn glove compartment. Letting out a soft, post adrenaline laugh, he gently rubbed Cas’s stomach again. “You okay?”

Cas looked like he was done with the world. "No," he murmured, and it was the most pitiful sounding thing Dean had ever heard.

In that moment, a wave of guilt washed over him. He pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek. “I’m sorry, babe. Can you forgive me?”

Cas turned around with a puppy dog look that was even more effective with the added wet rat look. "Can I have two ice creams with three globes?"

Goddamn his angel was adorable. Dean couldn’t help but nod as he cupped his cheek. “As many ‘globes’ as you want.”


	17. Parade

**Parade**

Cas knew that all beautiful things had to end at some point. The vacation had been incredible, and they wished they could enjoy it a little longer, but they had to return to the bunker. 

Cas closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm summer sun on his face while listening to the radio, thinking about all the nice things they had done. Like visiting the largest ball of twine, and sending Sam and Eileen a postcard of it. 

His day dreaming was disturbed when Dean cursed about a closed road and parked the car. When Cas opened his eyes, he could see a parade with rainbow flags, music, and people marching and having fun. "What is happening?"

Dean groaned as he dropped his head against the steering wheel. “Shit. We might be stuck here for a minute.”

"If we're stuck, we can go watch the parade, right? It looks interesting," Cas suggested, giving Dean a soft smile. "That way our vacation lasts a little longer."

“You get what kinda parade that is, right?” Dean asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone.

"They’re waving rainbow flags, so I'm assuming it has something to do with loving a person of the same gender. Like with us?" Cas asked slowly, hoping he had come to the right conclusion. Humans sure did have weird parades. He knew one was about worshipping a turkey. So, he never really knew what they were actually about.

Dean let out an impressed sounding huff of laughter. “You’re getting better at that.” While Dean didn’t say he _ didn’t _ want to go, he was making no attempt to get out of the vehicle.

“Are you coming?” Cas asked as he opened the door on his side, ready to go.

There was a beat of silence as Dean wrung his hands around the steering wheel. “Um… give me a minute.”

"Alright." Cas nodded and got out of the car. He was immediately engulfed in the sound of music and people celebrating. 

He had known Dean long enough now to know there were certain things he had to work through alone, and at his own pace. It was better to let him be. So, Cas waved at him through the windshield and marched towards the parade, admiring the craftsmanship and creativity of the colorful wagons.

The din of cheers, laughter, chants, and a profound glee from these gathered humans was infectious. Coming in waves as the crowds started to grow. There were some interesting clothing choices, from head to toe rainbow fabric, to black leather jockstraps and collars.

Cas had no idea where the thought came from, but suddenly he wondered how Dean would look in a collar. He shook that thought off and returned his concentration on the parade as a young man stepped in front of him and handed him a rainbow flag embroidered with the words, "show your pride." 

Cas looked down at the flag. The sun was shining through it, leaving a rainbow colored shadow on the asphalt. It was beautiful. People were kissing, and having fun, and he couldn't help but smile when he finally understood what they were celebrating.

It was love, and being different. Like every color on the spectrum of light coming together and creating something bright and beautiful. 

Like his relationship with Dean. They couldn't be more different. They didn't even belong to the same species. But despite all of that, they just fit together, creating their own rainbow. 

Cas was mildly startled when someone grabbed his hand. He turned and instantly relaxed at finding Dean, flashing him an almost insecure smile.

He squeezed his hand and smiled back. "Hello, Dean."

“Hey, Cas,” he returned, holding his gaze for a moment before he took a look around. “This is… wild.”

Cas chuckled lowly and nodded. "And very colorful… I like it a lot. Everyone looks happy."

“Gay,” Dean added, “in every way.”

Cas suspected it was play on words because of the two meanings of the word 'gay'. He pulled Dean a little closer. "I'm happy, too. In all my existence, I have never felt so much happiness since I've been with you, Dean."

Dean looked down at him, gently cupping his cheek. “That’s quite a compliment.”

Cas leaned against his hand as he corrected, "Not a compliment. I'm stating a fact."

One of the colorful wagons halted in front of them. It was full of cheering people and loud music. One person on the wagon, a tall woman with voluminous pink hair, reached her hand out to them. "Come on. Let's celebrate your love, you handsome people." 

Before Cas could react, very strong hands had already started pulling him up on the wagon. Another person had helped Dean up, too. Cas found Dean's hand again, confused about why they were up here.

Everyone started dancing around them, and Dean flashed him an unsure shrug, hunching his shoulders slightly as he started doing an almost twisting dance.

Cas watched him in awe. He knew Dean could dance because he had caught him a few times, in the mornings while making breakfast in the kitchen, dancing to the music on the radio. 

Dean laughed and grabbed Cas’s hands, pulling him close. “Come on, Cas.” He started swaying his hips, trying to get Cas to join him.

Cas had never danced before, and he wasn't sure what he was doing, so he decided to relax and let Dean guide him. He trusted Dean, Cas knew he would show him how this worked. "Like this?" he asked, hesitantly mimicking Dean's movement.

Dean wrapped his arms loosely about his neck and braced his forehead against Cas’s. “Just relax.”

And Cas did. He wrapped his arms around Dean before he pulled him into a kiss. He noticed Dean was swaying with him, guiding him to the beat of the music. When he leaned back, he smiled at Dean. That was until he noticed something. "Dean… you have a lot of glitter in your hair. I'm sure it's not fairy blood this time."

Dean drew back and ran his hand through his hair. When he brought his hand back to eye level, he growled, “Son of a bitch!”


	18. Dance

**Dance**

After spending way too many hours watching tutorial videos, and having to drive to about twelve different stores to try and find tear away pants, Dean finally had everything he needed for the surprise he’d had planned for a few weeks now. They had the bunker to themselves for once, Sam and Eileen having taken Jack on a hunt with them.

Dean had even gone the extra steps to set the mood, lining the Dean Cave with candles, and some fancy drapes they stole from a werewolf den that had some pretty nice stuff. Sam and Cas had been kinda judgy about it, but he was grateful for Eileen being on his team when it came to helping themselves to now unowned items.

After getting into the pants, and the see-through skin-tight tank, he used the window of time he had to place a couple of notes throughout the bunker, leading Cas on a little scavenger hunt until he finally reached the Dean Cave.

Where Dean was waiting for him.

"Oh, here you ar–" Cas said as he opened the door and immediately froze. His gaze wandering over Dean's chest as he visibly swallowed. Yep, Dean was definitely angel bait in this getup.

Dean smirked and pressed play on the boombox, which was supposed to play  _ Pony, _ but for some reason started playing some shitty Celine Dion song.

_ “All by myself…”  _ Echoed around them and Dean growled as he held the fast forward button down and flashed Cas an apologetic smile.  _ Fucking Sammy.  _

As he tried to get to the right song, he nodded to the chair he set up next to the pool table. “Sit.”

Cas appeared very confused now, but did as Dean had told him. When he sat down, he tilted his head. "Dean, what… what are you doing?"

Finally, he reached the right song, a familiar beat and bass shaking the boombox’s speakers. Dean turned towards Cas and started walking towards him, swaying his hips. “Thought I’d surprise you.”

"Oh?" Cas gave him a surprised look. "You planned all this?"

Dean chuckled. “No, I just happened to find the Dean Cave like this.” He couldn’t help the sarcastic tone, but he started slowly pulling the shirt up, so he doubted Cas would be mad for long.

Cas's eyes widened, and Dean thought maybe he should cut the guy some slack. He clearly looked like he had fried his brain, and Dean couldn't say that he was disappointed that he had such an effect on Cas. 

Cas parted his lips before he licked over them, his breathing hitched as his eyes travelled over Dean's chest. "Do you want me to undress as well, or just sit here?" 

“Didn’t you read the damn notes?” he asked as he stepped closer, letting go of the hem of his shirt.

"What notes?" Cas asked. "I came here because you weren't in our bedroom when I came back to the bunker."

Dean shook his head in amazement. “I left a note on the bed.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t not – notice,” Cas replied before he gave him an unsure smile. “But at least I found you.”

Ah, well. He should have known Cas likely would search for Dean before he searched for clues. Dean resumed pulling up the tank top as he kept walking. He might have pulled off sexy, if his damn elbow didn’t get caught when he tried to pull it up over his head. 

“Do you need help?” Cas offered, very unhelpfully.

Dean groaned a frustrated, “no,” before he finally got the damn shirt off, thankfully without dislocating anything. He threw the shirt onto the recliner and flashed Cas a charming smile as he moved to stand in front of him. 

Cas looked excited. "Can I touch you?"

“Not yet,” he said with a laugh as he widened his tance, bending over to grasp the pant legs. Dean looked up and winked at Cas as he yanked on them.

And nothing happened.

Cas tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you’re doing, Dean. If you want to have sex with me, I could just help you with your clothes so we can start.”

Dean huffed out an annoyed sigh. “No, look, I almost got it,” he grunted between each hard yank on the pants. On the sixth tug, one of the legs ripped open, slapping Dean in the face. Instantly throwing off his equilibrium, he fell back and landed on his ass.

It only hurt half as much as his pride. With an annoyed sigh he dropped to the floor and just lay there. “I guess you should just go for it,” he said as he waved over his body. Strippers made it look so easy.

Cas was kneeling over him in no time. His hands wandered to Dean’s pants, opening them before pulling them down. “I still don’t know what you had planned, but you are very attractive, Dean,” he murmured before he pulled Dean into a deep kiss.

Dean let out a surprised chuckle as he succumbed to the strength of his boyfriend. Ah, well… same end result, right?


	19. Mutual Support

**Mutual Support**

While Dean was sleeping, Cas usually spent his time enjoying lying next to the hunter and daydreaming about the days they had. But sometimes he started to worry.

Questions would infiltrate his mind like, “Will I be enough for Dean?” or “What if Dean wants a family?” or “What if I can’t return to Heaven when Dean dies? What if I die before him?”

Mornings after those questions tormenting him through the night usually was cause for Cas being grouchy and in a bad mood. After a particularly hard night wrestling those questions, Cas decided to call his friend Inias, asking for his advice.

They had been in regular contact since they had met again, sometimes talking on the phone or exchanging messages. Inias usually sent him funny pictures of pandas and landscapes while Cas returned the favor with bee facts and videos about ant farming. 

They had stopped talking about ants though because it had resulted in an argument about how many ants were needed for a successful picnic. Cas still thought he had won the argument, because he had picnic experience, whereas Inias did not.

But anyway, he needed to talk to him and hear his friend’s opinion about his problems, so he called him, hoping he wasn’t working at that moment. 

After a couple of rings Inias answered with an excited, “Castiel!”

“Hello, Inias,” Cas greeted back, happy to hear his voice. “Do you have a moment?”

“Yes, I just got off work. I’m walking home.”

"Good, because… there was something I need to talk to you about," Cas started, still wondering how he should turn his worry into words. "Lately I'm… I worry a lot. About my relationship with Dean."

There was a beat of silence, he could almost see his friend’s likely perplexed expression. “Why are you worried, Castiel?”

"Because… I sometimes feel not… good enough. I always thought Dean was longing for a woman and maybe a child… raking leaves in the garden of his own house. I don't know… and then there is the fact that I won't grow old with him. Unless I get killed, I will live forever. And what if I get killed? I'm not going to Heaven and I will never see him again." He knew it was a lot, but once he had started, all those worries just tumbled out.

Inias hummed. “That does sound like a quandary. What has Dean said about it?”

"I… I haven't talked to him about it," Cas confessed after a moment.

Another beat of silence. “Well, I’m not familiar with human customs, but I would suspect you should be honest with Dean. Tell him your fears, your concerns. Does the potential of not growing old with him, or dying before him, does that make you want to not be with him anymore?”

"Of course not," Cas immediately replied before he added a quiet, "I fear… losing him. It all comes down to this." He knew Inias was right. He needed to talk to Dean about this. "Thank you, Inias. Again, you’ve helped me find the right way. You're a very good friend. Always have been."

“Castiel, I don’t believe you have anything to fear. And if for any reason I’m wrong, I have enough room for you here,” he said, tone sweet and unwavering.

After thanking Inias again, they said their goodbyes, and Cas went to find Dean. He needed to get over this worry and talk to him. He found Dean in the garage, washing his car in very short pants. 

Cas couldn't deny it was doing things to him. "Dean, um, do you have time… to talk?"

Dean turned around, a beautiful smile curling his lips as he saw Cas. “Sure, Babe. What’s up?” he asked as he dropped the sponge, then lifted the hem of his wet, white t-shirt to wipe his brow.

Cas swallowed dryly, his breathing hitched as he couldn't tear his eyes away. "That is very distracting," he breathed out before he shook his head and looked at the ceiling, trying to clear his thoughts. "Lately I… I worry a lot about us and it's… I need to talk to you, I’m hoping to get over those fears."

There was a beat of silence before suddenly Dean’s hand was cupping his cheek. As he turned to look at Dean, Cas was met with an impossibly concerned expression. “Why are you worried? Are you… having second thoughts?”

"No," Cas quickly responded with wide eyes. "Nothing like that. More like the opposite." Seeing Dean's confused expression he added, "I struggle with this profound fear of losing you. To either death or… a woman or… because I can't grow old with you "

Dean’s brow was furrowed before his face relaxed into a contemplative expression. He grabbed Cas’s hand and pulled him towards the hood of his car and sat down, patting the space beside him. “First, I mean… the death thing. While we’ve all kinda had our share of nine lives, that’s… that’s always a reality, especially with the lives we live.”

"I'm not worried about you dying before me. I could return to Heaven,it wouldn’t mean the end for us. There is no one in Heaven that will deny me to return. I could spend eternity with you. But if I die before that… I will never see you again." He hated thinking about it, but saying it out loud was worse.

“What do you mean?” he asked, sounding suspicious.

“Because, when angels die, we end up in the Empty. Sleeping for eternity.” Cas looked at the ground. “And if I’m not aware of myself, how would I be able to fight to return to you?” 

Dean sighed as he squeezed Cas’s hand. “Then you’re just gonna have to not die on me.”

“I’ll do my best,” Cas replied dryly. “But what about the other things? I remember a time when I saw you happy. With a woman and a child… all the normal  _ human _ things that I can’t give you.” He swallowed hard, that was a particularly difficult topic for him. Especially because he had been the one who took that happiness from Dean.

That was met with another sigh. “Look, maybe once… maybe the thought of having a family with Lisa and Ben was something I wanted. Maybe the like… Cleaver family idea was something I wanted, but… people change. And I can tell you, I wouldn’t give up what we got for anything in the world.”

Cas realized in that moment that he really needed to hear that. He smiled brightly and took in a deep breath. “That’s a relief… I can’t deny that was one of my major concerns.”

“Here’s the deal,” Dean said with a soft laugh as he pulled Cas’s hand up and held it in both of his, “I can’t promise it’ll all be sunshine and rainbows, and at some point, I  _ am _ gonna die, but maybe we should… I don’t know, make the most out of now, instead of worrying about the future.”

Dean was right. The only thing worrying was good for was, “worrying.” It didn’t make sense to dwell on those thoughts. But not thinking them wasn’t as easy as he wanted it to be. There was no off switch to emotions. Not anymore. “You’re right, of course. I just hope you won’t resent me when you grow older and I… I don’t.”

“Babe, I’m gonna have the hottest boyfriend, while you’re stuck with a raisin.”

Cas couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly. Dean’s mindset on life was refreshing, and Cas was glad that he talked to Dean about his fears. "I can live with that," he said, “Speaking of ‘hot boyfriends and living in the moment’...” Cas let his gaze wander over Dean’s wet shirt and shorts again. “You look very… tempting.”

Dean waggled his eyebrows. “We haven’t fucked in Baby yet.”

"Then we should quickly rectify that," Cas growled and pulled Dean from the hood of the car, drawing him into a kiss. He was beyond relieved after their conversation, reassured even. This relationship… Cas was sure they could make it work.


	20. Confession

**Confession**

It had been a little over six months since his relationship with Cas took a hard left turn. Dean kind of couldn’t believe this was his life now. Living in the bunker, still living their lives as hunters, but this insane contentment he had never felt before. While there was always this fear in the back of his mind about losing Cas, because their jobs were dangerous, he found himself almost too happy to really focus on all of those negative thoughts and emotions.

Things weren’t perfect, they had their ups and downs, they had fights sometimes, but they always found their way back to each other. Which was how it had always been between them if he was honest. 

They had fallen into an almost domestic routine, when they weren’t on a case. Most days they would catch up on chores, and spend the evenings making dinner for everyone, enjoying the shared time with their family before retiring to their room.

Dean didn’t really mind the monotony.

That was how he found himself, fondly watching Cas in the laundry room, happily folding clothes. His situational awareness had grown less and less powerful as his grace slowly diminished, so Dean was granted the ability to watch his boyfriend without him feeling his presence.

Cas suddenly started smiling, lovingly stroking one of Dean’s flannel shirts, as though he was thinking about Dean. He looked very happy, an expression that Dean hadn’t seen on Cas’s face before they changed their relationship.

It was almost breathtaking. When Cas pulled the shirt to his face to sniff it, Dean couldn’t help but mirror the smile on his boyfriend’s face. Damn, he really was in love with that dweeb.

Dean froze for a moment as the realization of what he just thought washed over him. He loved Cas. He loved Cas with every fiber of his being. This angel who had changed his life, and saved it countless times. Who helped him fight evil and save the world. Who stood by his side, no matter what it cost him.

How the hell could he  _ not _ love Cas?

In that moment, he cleared his throat and approached Cas, this insane urge to hold his boyfriend was near overwhelming. “Hey, Cas.”

Cas startled and dropped the shirt on the table in front of him, looking incredibly embarrassed. He cleared his throat before murmuring, “Hello, Dean.”

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle as he closed the distance between them, drawing Cas close before he pressed his lips to the angel’s in a firm, borderline ardent kiss. 

Cas gasped into the kiss and grabbed Dean’s hips, flipping them around before lifting Dean up onto the table. He pushed in between Dean’s legs to get closer, deepening a kiss that quickly grew more desperate.

Not that he minded the direction this was going, but… “Cas, Cas wait…” he breathed out as he held his hand at Cas’s chest. “I wanted to tell you something…”

Cas pulled back, breathing heavily as he leaned back a few inches. His lips were parted and his eyes held a mixture of concern and lust. “What is it?”

Dean couldn’t help but smile again, hoping he didn’t appear as dopey as he felt. “I love you.” 

For a moment Cas just stared at Dean with wide eyes before he tilted his head in confusion and said, “I know.”

“No, you doofus,” Dean said with a soft laugh, “I’m  _ in _ love with you.”

Cas rolled his eyes and flashed him a sarcastic expression. “I know, Dean. You show me that every single day since we’ve been in a relationship. I don’t need words to understand you, but...” He smiled then before he leaned his forehead against Dean’s. “It’s nice to hear my feelings for you are reciprocated.”

Dean let out a soft, amused sigh. “Way to ruin a moment.”

“Can I make it up to you?” Cas asked with a glint of flirty amusement in his eyes.

“Yeah,” he said as he drew back and gently pushed Cas away, “my turn for a strip tease.”

The look of sheer terror on Cas’s face made it… totally worth it.


	21. Proposal

**Proposal**

Cas had spent a lot of time researching a case lately on Sam’s laptop, but he had learned that surfing on the internet meant getting easily distracted by other things. It had all started with cat videos, which led to a baking website for colorful cupcakes, and eventually landed on a blog about a man who had told the story about proposing to his boyfriend in celebration of homosexuals being allowed to get married. Cas hadn’t known that this had been forbidden because it was such a ridiculous thing to forbid. It didn’t make sense.

But that blog had sparked another train of thought. Or more precisely, it had sparked a wish. So he researched everything there was to know about weddings and proposals. 

After an hour, he had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t possible for him to marry Dean, because they both weren’t in the “system”. Cas didn’t technically exist and Dean was officially dead.

Not that that influenced his wish to be Dean’s husband, rather than his boyfriend. A term he didn’t like because he was more than Dean’s friend, and he wasn’t a boy. 

So maybe they could do a ceremony on their own? With their family and friends in attendance to watch their unofficial union. Cas couldn’t help but grin at the pictures his imagination came up with. He really liked the thought.

Now he just needed to ask Dean. Dread washed over him when he made up his mind to actually ask Dean that particular question. What if Dean refused? What if he found the notion ridiculous? 

He shook his head and remembered that talking to Dean had helped in the past. Dean had his back and he loved Cas. So the chances of him having a positive reaction… Cas let out a noise of frustration. It was impossible to logic his way through this situation. He just had to take a leap of faith. And although he was an angel, he was incredibly bad at those.

Cas didn’t go out to buy a ring for Dean, instead he used his grace to make one of his own. He cut a piece from the handle of his angel blade and melted it down in his hand, forming it into a ring. 

Now he just needed to find the right moment to ask Dean. Preferably a moment they were alone and would be undisturbed. 

Cas waited, the ring heavy in his pocket, until Dean said it was bedtime for little angels. He followed Dean to their bedroom with a heavy beating heart. He knew he was probably reacting weirdly, frozen in place in front of their bed as he watched Dean change into cozier clothes. “Um, Dean can you, um… come here to me for a second?”

Dean finished pulling his pants off and walked towards him with a quirked brow. “You okay?”

Cas nodded tersely, though he didn’t feel okay. He felt like he was dying from nervousness. He knew what to do though, what the human tradition was to make this unambiguous, so he got down on his knee in front of Dean, looking up with a heavy beating heart. “Dean, I… I wanted to ask…”  _ The ring!  _ He quickly put his hand in the pocket and pulled out the ring, holding it towards Dean. “I wanted to ask if you would… um, want to be my husband instead of my boyfriend? Boyfriend is a really stupid word and I love you so, yeah, I hope you… um…”

Dean let out a bark of laughter and grasped Cas’s forearms to pull him to his feet. “Babe, you know we can’t get married, right?”

“Yes, I did a lot of research. But just because we can’t do this officially, doesn’t mean we can’t have… like a hunter wedding. We can invite all our friends and family and just live by our own rules.” Cas tilted his head, still holding out the ring for Dean. “I made this for you as a promise to stay at your side forever. And I want everyone to know, officially, that I love you and you’re mine.”

There was a beat of silence as Dean looked at the ring. Cas thought his heart would burst through his chest from the severity of its beating when Dean gently pulled the ring from the box. He pushed it onto his left ring finger and looked down at his hand.

Finally, Dean looked up at him and smiled. “And this is all ‘cause you hate the word boyfriend?”

Cas rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin before he shook his head. He really loved how the ring looked on Dean's finger. "It was a factor, but... mostly it is because I love you and I want everyone to know you're taken."

There was a soft buzz of anticipatory tension in the beat of silence as Dean cupped Cas’s cheek. Dean’s smile was one of his most breathtaking. The kinda look he gave pie. “You sap. ‘Course I’ll marry you.”

There were moments in his life, especially in the past six months, where Cas had wondered if he was still in the djinn dream. He wasn't used to the amount of happiness that overwhelmed him in that moment, and he needed a minute to come back to the here and now. “Also, we can have a wedding night,” he finally added as a quick joke.

“Bitch, I want a Vegas honeymoon,” Dean said with a wink before he dove in for a kiss.


	22. Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankie here: Hey, guys. Sorry we haven't been staying on top of comment replies, but we love every damn one y'all leave, and we love you guys! We're thrilled you're enjoying this prompt fic. <3<3
> 
> There is a common comment we've seen on a few of the chapters, so I'm gonna give y'all some peace of mind. This is not still the Djinn dream. Their djinn dreams were part of a consenual experience used as a spa treatment to help people and creatures relax. So, rest assured, everything after the Djinn spa treatment has been a hundred percent real (well, as real as fanfiction about fictional characters can be), and we will not end it like Dallas. lol. 
> 
> <3<3

**Wedding**

After a relatively low-key Hunter wedding, with everyone they gave a damn about in attendance; the Queen of Hell herself, Rowena, and Jody, Claire and Kaia, Donna, Alex, Patience, Charlie, Bobby from Bizarro World, the prissy ass versions of Dean and Sam, Cas’s way too chummy angel friend, Iliad or something, Garth, his wife, Baby Sammy and Baby Cas, and of course, Sam, Eileen, and Jack. Dean and Cas found themselves sitting at the head of all the library tables pushed together, surrounded by the din of laughter, glasses clinking, and a general merriment of their ever drunker friends and family. 

The ceremony had been short and sweet, movie quotes in lieu of vows, and a pretty sappy commencement by Sammy. Dean knew he shouldn’t have let the big softy officiate. It wasn’t until the after party, makeshift reception, or whatever you want to call it, that things really started to get fun.

Everyone was about nine drinks in, with the exception of the babies, who were asleep in one of the rooms. Another plus side of a huge bunker with several rooms, no hotels needed. Dean was resting his head on Cas’s shoulder as he watched Charlie proceed to steal Mr. Fizzles (who the fuck invited him?) and chase Garth around the library.

He chuckled and slightly turned to look at his, now, husband. “I almost feel bad for Garth.”

Cas looked incredibly relaxed and content, a soft smile playing around the edge of his lips. "Why is he afraid of a sock?"

“That sock’s a clairvoyant bastard,” he replied as he pressed a lazy kiss to Cas’s neck.

Cas hummed and shifted before he nudged his nose against Dean's head. Dean had discovered that his angel sometimes turned into a cat when he was in a contented state. "Clairvoyant." That sounded sarcastic as hell. "Maybe we should ask it about our future then. If it gives the wrong answer, I'll smite it, and Garth is safe."

Dean barked out a laugh. “I’d make a joke about seeing a grown man cry, but I don’t think any of us get to make that joke.”

Cas wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer before taking Dean's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over Dean's ring. "My husband," he murmured and Dean could feel the smile pressed against his forehead.

Before Dean could respond, he was jostled by a flash of green and red, as Rowena proceeded to drop herself onto Cas’s lap. “You know, tweety-pie,” she slurred, “I could spell these for you.” She pointed to his wedding band before she started twirling his tie.

Dean rolled his eyes. “How are you this drunk? And you’re not human, can you even get drunk?”

“I can,” she announced regally. “It just takes quite a bit to get me there, so I’ve had to pre-party… for a week.”

"I learned drinking a liquor store in a very short amount of time does the trick, too," Cas suggested before he looked at his own ring. "What spell are you thinking of?"

“The Allar,” she calmly murmured as she started unbuttoning Cas’s shirt. This witch was a straying finger away from Dean banishing her ass straight back to Hell.

"Um..." Cas looked very uncomfortable. "That's um, nice, but you really shouldn't cast any spells until the alcohol is out of your system." He flashed Dean a help-seeking look. "It's a spell that binds objects and makes them glow when one of the persons it belongs to is in danger. Like in the movie with the little man and his hairy feet."

Dean chuckled and shook his head. He really needed to teach Cas to retain more than a character and respective affliction they had in every movie they watched. He stood up and, in a swift movement, lifted Rowena and gently sat her on the table. Before she could move back, Dean took her place, sitting in his husband’s lap. He wrapped his arm around Cas’s neck and winked at her. “I agree, you should definitely sober up before you do that for us.”

Cas nodded at her indignant expression. "Don't drink and cast. That's the saying."

Rowena scoffed as she stumbled to her feet. “Maybe for an apprentice.” She narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the room. 

Garth had apparently gotten Mr. Fizzles back and was consoling the sock puppet. 

“There,” she said as she waved her hand and slurred something in Latin.

Suddenly the sock puppet came to life, it began screaming in agony because Garth’s hand was inside it.  Garth pulled it off, and rested Mr Fizzles on the table. The puppet went off on a rant about being used, and that Garth was always putting words in his mouth, he was particularly pissed about being controlled like a puppet. Mr. Fizzles proceeded to proclaim he was over it, and he wanted a divorce. 

He could feel his husband chuckle very quietly, trying to hide it by holding his hand against his lips. Dean wasn’t worried about being polite, he laughed outright and quirked his brow at Rowena. “Was that supposed to sell us?”

Rowena cleared her throat and looked away. “It was supposed to turn into a rabbit.”

“I want to experience my wedding night,” Cas replied dryly. “So I would prefer if you didn’t cast any spells in our direction while under the influence of alcohol.”

With a flick of her hair, she shrugged her shoulders. “Ah, well.” When Rowena turned back to look at them, her eyes narrowed and she leaned in close to Dean’s face. She grasped his earlobe and said, “is that glitter?”

Dean immediately pushed her hand away and wiped his lobe. When he drew his hand back, there was a tiny speck of red glitter. He looked at Cas then, who gave him a disbelieving look before he suggested the words on Dean's mind, 

"Son of a bitch?"


	23. Anniversary

**Anniversary**

“Because you two are old,” Claire argued and pressed the two tickets for a weekend at a farm in Kansas (she had won on the radio) into Cas’s hands. “And it’s your one year anniversary. So you should go and have a vacation.”

“On a farm?” Cas asked hesitantly. That didn’t sound like a vacation.

“Yes, there are animals and a guest house. You can take long walks, and picnics, and whatever else old people do.” She raised her eyebrow when she suggested it. “And you’re the definition of old. Like, weren’t you there when humans were created?”

“Before that actually,” Cas replied thoughtfully.

“See? It’s perfect for you two.” She winked at Cas and waved. “Have fun this weekend.”

Cas watched her leave, and for some reason he couldn’t shake that she might have an ulterior motive wanting them to leave this weekend. He just didn’t know what it could be.

So he went to the kitchen to make breakfast and coffee before he took that (with the tickets) back to their bedroom, where Dean was still half asleep after they had some nice morning sex. Cas had played the role of the pizza man. “I brought you breakfast,” he quietly announced as he put the tray on the night table and leaned over to kiss Dean’s forehead.

Dean growled contentedly. “Best husband ever,” he said through a yawn as he pushed himself to sit up.

Cas sat down on the edge of the bed and showed Dean the tickets. “Claire gave these to us. For our anniversary. It’s a farm vacation, and according to her, it’s for old people. I got the impression she wants us to be gone for the weekend. Maybe we should pretend we go and shadow her. See what she is really up to.”

Dean grabbed a slice of bacon and looked down at them. “You’re right. Besides, why would we want to go to a farm?”

"According to her it's what 'old people' consider fun. And she said I count because I'm older than humanity," Cas explained before he kissed Dean's forehead. "You're very young though. So I'm not sure how you fit into this."

Dean’s neck cracked and he let out a deep groan. “Ain’t as young as I used to be.” He chuckled and took a bite of toast. “So, how’re we gonna trail her?” he asked with his mouth full.

"I suggest we pack our things and drive the Impala out of sight before we return here, stealthily, to see what she is up to," Cas suggested before massaging Dean's neck with his fingers. "If it makes you feel better, compared to me, you're really young."

“At least this ache is because we did the number two-sixty-six in the  _ Kama Sutra,  _ and not ‘cause I slept wrong,” he hummed around another bite of bacon.

Cas smiled fondly at the memory. "You know, they say practice makes better. So we could always have more sex to build up your muscles and flexibility."

Dean pursed his lips and nodded. “I’ll buy that.” He stuffed another piece of bacon in his mouth and pushed the plate away. “Start now?”

Cas shook his head. "As much as I want to, Claire expects us to pack and leave. She seemed to be in a hurry for us to go on this trip. So, why don't you get ready and I’ll ‘pack’ our things," he suggested, using his fingers to make air quotes so Dean would understand he was only pretending to pack.

“You owe me double sex later,” Dean said as he pushed the covers off and moved to the dirty laundry hamper his husband kept his clean clothes.

“I will gladly pay that debt,” Cas replied with a smirk before he grabbed a duffel bag and filled it with books to make it look heavy. He shouldered it and waited for Dean to be dressed before they walked towards the garage. 

Claire was leaning against the Impala with a grin. “Happy Anniversary. I’m glad you’re taking the vacation. I think you’ve earned it.”

Dean quirked his brow at her as he popped open the trunk. “Who’d you steal these tickets from?”

She rolled her eyes. “I won them on the radio. I just called ‘cause I was bored. Didn’t think I’d win anything.”

“Kid,” Dean said with a sigh as he slammed the trunk shut, “I taught you better than that. While your pickpocketing’s still sharp, the lying needs work.”

“Well, whatever, Hasselhoff,” she replied before she flashed them an overly sweet smile. A smile that was clearly fake. Even Cas knew that. “Now you have the weekend to yourselves and I don’t have to watch you slobber all over my Dad.”

In that moment, Dean looped his arm over Cas’s shoulder and licked a long swipe up his cheek. “Like that?”

“Ewww, gross,” Claire complained before she slapped Dean’s shoulder.

Cas wiped his cheek with his hand before he thanked Claire for the tickets and opened the door for Dean. He hoped Claire wouldn’t suspect anything when Dean drove them out of the garage and parked the car on a little pathway in the woods close to the bunker. “We should wait a little bit before we head back,” Cas suggested.

“Yeah, my bet is whatever she’s stealing from the bunker will happen within the next thirty minutes.” Dean leaned back against the seat and waggled his eyebrows. “Wanna make out?”

Instead of answering the obvious question, Cas had a question of his own. “Why do you think she is planning on stealing something?”

Dean chuckled as he pulled out the tickets. “One, these tickets have the names of Joan and David Picket on it. So, unless we have ID badges with those exact names, we can’t use ‘em. She just needed to get us out of the bunker, but she only has a certain amount of time, because she knows that we would likely realize the issue with the damn tickets within the first ten to fifteen minutes of the drive. Giving her a minimum of twenty and a max of thirty. That’s not enough time to do anything, except maybe steal something.”

Cas couldn’t help but be impressed. And he channeled that awe into pulling Dean into a deep kiss before he pulled him onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him. They hadn’t “made out” in the Impala for quite some time. “I missed doing this,” he murmured against Dean’s lips.

“Me too,” Dean hummed as he braced his forehead against Cas’s. “Maybe we should have a make out date in Baby once a week.”

“That is a very good idea.” Cas drew back when they were suddenly interrupted by the roar of an engine, a red car flying past them at a high speed. Cas gave Dean a confused look. “Wasn’t that a car from the bunker’s garage?”

Dean furrowed his brow and quickly shifted back behind the wheel, “Yeah, that was Jessica.” Without missing a beat, he started the engine and pulled out onto the road to trail it.

“You were right, Dean. She stole a car.” Cas tried to adjust his pants before turning to Dean. “Why would she do that?”

That was met with a bark of laughter. “Honestly, I’m surprised she waited this long. You saw the piece of crap she calls a car. Jessica’s an upgrade.”

“I wonder where she is going.” 

They followed her at a safe distance for more than an hour until she parked the car next to four other colorful cars in a deserted industrial lot. Dean parked the Impala behind one of the buildings and they stealthily approached the cars, and accompanying crowd, before they hid behind some dumpsters.

Claire was talking to four other girls, and it looked like they were discussing the conditions of a race. Only then Cas realized the lot looked like an abandoned race track. “Are they going to race?” he whispered.

Dean shrugged as he looked back at the girls. There were several onlookers on the sidelines, a majority of them women, dozens of flags of different solid colors being waved, and the din of chatter and laughter. “Definitely looks like it.” 

They watched as Claire leaned over to kiss Kaia before she winked at her. “I’m gonna win that pink slip for us. Wish me luck, baby,” she said before she and the other four drivers got into their cars, starting their engines.

Cas leaned closer to Dean. “What is a pink slip?”

“Pretty retro terminology. It’s just called a title,” Dean poorly clarified as he carefully started moving closer to the crowds.

Cas followed him as they watched the race begin, the crowd cheering at the sidelines. Claire had a pretty good start, and was driving like a crazy person. Cas couldn’t help but worry. This looked very dangerous. 

Kaia turned around and widened her eyes as she spotted them. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she approached.

Dean quirked his brow. “Claire should’ve known the cardinal rule of stealing a car. Never go the same direction as the dupes you steal from after only ten minutes.” He scoffed, “Amateur.”

“She stole it?” Kaia’s eyebrows shot up. “She said she was borrowing it, and that you were okay with it.”

To Cas’s surprise, that was met with a good-natured laugh from his husband. “Good girl.” Dean shook his head. “What’s this all about? Why is she racing for ‘pinks’?” 

Kaia smiled shyly before she replied, “Don’t tell her I told you, but she wants to have her own cool car like yours. Like your Impala.”

Cas couldn’t help but smile at that. Claire really was like Dean in a lot of ways.

Dean looked just as touched by that sentiment, his smile fond and proud as he looked back at the race. At that moment he started cheering Claire on, shouting praises and urging her to drive faster, albeit his language was a little more colorful.

When Claire was the first one to reach the finish line, Cas felt proud in that moment, too. He hugged Dean with a smile, murmuring, “Happy Anniversary.”

“Damn right it is, fuck yeah, Claire!” he called out again before he pulled Cas in for a fierce kiss.

Cas got lost in the kiss, pulling Dean close as he buried his fingers in his hair. They kept kissing until they were interrupted by Claire’s voice.

“Ewww! Now you’re following me to make out with my Dad, for what? Just to embarrass me?”

Dean drew back to quirk his brow at her. “What’d you expect? Who didn’t wait the standard twenty three minutes and go the opposite direction of the target?”

She rolled her eyes before she pointed at a sleek black, racing car. “I just won a sweet ride, so the plan worked out.”

That was met with a bark of laughter as Dean pulled away from Cas to pull Claire in for a part hug, part what he called, “noogie”. “I’m proud of you, kid,” he said as he kissed the crown of her head. He smirked down at her. “So, you wanted to be like the Hoff, Cyrus?”

Claire started protesting, and Cas was sure he had never seen her this embarrassed before. It was really nice to watch. Involuntarily, Claire had made this day into a really unforgettable anniversary for them. Who needed farm animals and long walks when they could watch and cheer for their child making it on their path in life?


	24. Acceptance

**Acceptance**

Because Cas was the best husband in the entire universe, and Dean could definitively say that whether or not Chuck had destroyed all the other ones, he had gotten them tickets to a Top Notch Wrestling Match as a surprise pre Christmas present. 

Granted, Dean hadn’t been to one since the whole deal with Gunner Lawless went down, so it was a truly pleasant surprise.

The crowd was the usual rowdy bunch, maybe a hundred people or so, and easily half of them were already drunk. Cas was off getting them a couple of beers from concession, so Dean found himself people watching.

It was a little bizarre, looking around to see familiar yet strange faces. The crowds always looked the same. Dean had found these matches a source of serious confusion growing up. They were one of the few fun things he recalled from his childhood, something he was able to share with Dad, outside of hunting.

But as a pubescent boy with an underlying attraction to men, these matches were also Hell for him. Dean found himself constantly on guard, making sure he didn’t stare too long, and periodically scrubbed his hand over his face to hide any potential expressions that screamed, “queer kid right here!”

Dean had been terrified of being caught out, especially in a place like this, filled with a bunch of good ol’ boys, who’s Friday night entertainment either consisted of this, or queer bashing. 

And then Dean discovered Gunner Lawless, and he quickly lost grip on his control over his sexuality. Anytime Gunner was at a match, Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of him. And that was damn dangerous.

At least he could explain it away with Gunnar being his idol. His thoughts were interrupted when Cas joined him, handing Dean a beer  _ and _ nachos. "Are you alright?"

Dean couldn’t help but flash him a smile. Without thinking twice about it, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Cas’s lips. “Better than alright.” He drew back and held up the nachos. “My husband takes good care of me.”

"I do my best," Cas replied with a contented smile.

The guy sitting next to them, who looked like a real lumberjack with muscles and a gruff beard, eyed them in evident surprise. He held up his beer and softly elbowed Dean. "Damn lucky. My girl never brings me anything."

Dean chuckled and held his beer up in kind. “Could always bring her something,” he countered. And in that moment something clicked. 

There was no fear, no crippling anxiety weighing down his lungs. Dean kissed Cas with countless people, who once stoked the fear of god in him, as their witness. And now he couldn’t give a flying fuck. There was this warmth instead of dread. And Terminator being just as uncaring made Dean wonder why the hell he forced himself to hide as long as he did.

"Oh, I bring her stuff." Terminator laughed. "Money, and she turns it into clothes and makeup to look hot." The guy pulled his phone out and showed it to Dean. The display wallpaper showed a half naked woman with big tits on a motorcycle. She looked like a friggin’ Playboy Bunny. Super hot.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. “Holy shit,” he breathed out with an impressed scoff.

"Yeah, right?" Terminator replied proudly before he looked confused. "Oh… do you even… Um, sorry if this is a dumb question…" He looked over to Cas, who wasn't paying attention to them, instead looking around at the crowd. "You know… think women are hot?" 

Dean chuckled. “I like both, and he’s indifferent to sexual orientation.”

"Oh." The guy looked even more confused now. "But if you like both… how do you decide which gender you get with?"

Helluva question. Dean shrugged as he looked at Cas. “Maybe it’s not about choosing, at least not when it comes to what’s in someone’s pants. Maybe it’s just about choosing someone that makes you happy.”

Cas looked over at Dean, flashing him a happy smile before learning against him.

Terminator grinned and nodded. "That makes sense. Sorry if that was a weird question. I don't know any gays or whatever. And I was always curious."

Dean nodded back at the guy and held his hand out to him. “Dean. This is my husband, Cas.”

The guy shook his hand before shaking Cas's, who slowly seemed to realize that there was a conversation going on next to him. "Ben," he introduced himself. "Woah, you have a strong handshake," he commented on Cas. 

Cas looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I do? I apologize."

"No, don't, man. It's a good thing." Ben laughed. "Could use more strong guys like you in construction."

Dean waggled his eyebrows at Cas. “I think you could pull off the hat and vest,” he teased. But honestly? The thought was kinda hot.

Cas didn't seem to get it, but clearly caught on that it was a compliment. Dean still managed to make Cas flustered with a compliment. It was awesome.

“Hey, don't objectify us construction workers," Ben said with a good-natured laugh. "So, what do you guys do? You both look in shape."

Another question. Dean could only imagine how Dad would’ve treated this guy. After dumping his beer on Ben’s head, Dad probably would have decked him and dragged him and Sammy home. 

But Dean wasn’t his father. He smiled and said, “FBI, but don’t worry, it’s our night off.”

Ben clearly looked impressed. Cas leaned forward and participated for the first time in the conversation. "It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with Dean. He saves people. He puts all of his time and energy into making the world a safer place."

“Like you haven’t had my back every step of the damn way,” he breathed out before cupping his jaw to draw him in for a quick kiss. “I’m the man I am today because of you.” 

"Damn, what you two have is relationship goals."

Dean chuckled. “Thanks, brother,” he said as he held his hand out for a fist bump.

Ben bumped his fist with a nod and a grin when the crowd erupted into cheers and the fighters started being introduced.

Cas leaned closer and whispered, "They are not far away from wearing loin cloths."

He looped his arm over Cas’s shoulder and smiled down at him. “Thank you.”

"For what?" Cas replied as he pressed a lazy kiss to Dean's shoulder.

“For helping me see just what I was missin’ out on for not accepting who I was.” Dean flashed him a small smile. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

Cas shook his head, mirroring the smile. "We're here now. Happy. That's all that matters." The smile turned into a grin. "Besides, I'm very good at waiting. Especially when the waiting is worth it."

The wait had definitely been worth it.


	25. Midnight Snacks

**Midnight Snacks**

The bed was cold. Cas had been so deep in a state of meditation (Dean called it sleeping, but he was just resting his eyes) that he hadn’t noticed him leaving their bedroom. A quick look at the clock on the night table told him that it was around midnight.

Cas rolled out of bed to see where his husband had disappeared to. He had an inkling, and it was confirmed when he found Dean in the kitchen, standing in front of the open fridge. Cas leaned against the doorframe, watching Dean humming a song to himself, “Should I eat this whole pie…”

Typical. They had sex an hour before and usually, afer a quick nap, Dean got hungry and grabbed himself a snack. Cas really wished he would at least eat healthy on these occasions, but there was nothing he could do to change Dean’s mind about his sugar intake.

So he went with a different tactic. Since Dean was standing there in the nude, showing off his beautiful backside, Cas decided to take action. He snuck behind Dean and grabbed his hips, crowding him against the open fridge door. “What do you think you’re doing?” He growled playfully. 

Dean chuckled as he craned his neck to press a kiss to his cheek. “Lookin’ for a snack…”

Cas hummed and leaned back a little so he could softly bite Dean's shoulder. One of his hands wandered to Dean's ass, fingers slipping between Dean’s cheeks to press against his hole. He was still wet and pretty open from before, so it was easy to work two fingers inside almost immediately. "I already found what I'm hungry for," Cas growled into Dean's ear.

That was met with a soft gasp as Dean arched against Cas’s fingers, his head lolling back. “Fuck…” Dean widened his stance, giving Cas more access. “Someone could walk in on us,” he breathed out, but his tone didn’t sound reticent, almost the opposite.

"Yes," Cas replied with a playful nip at Dean's earlobe. "So I suggest you stay quiet, because I will take you." He pushed a third finger in. "Hard and fast. Just like you need it." He was proud of himself for getting so much better at 'dirty talk'. His first attempts had been awkward, but he had done his research because it was addictive to see how obedient Dean could become.

Dean grasped the handle of the freezer in one hand, and the open door in the other as he let out a deep groan. “Enough prep, fuck me already,” he pleaded.

Cas used his other hand to cover Dean’s mouth, so his husband would be quiet, before he exchanged his fingers with his erection, plunging into Dean in one go. He instantly started a hard and fast rhythm, knowing Dean loved this way of having sex the best.

His ministrations and intuition was rewarded with a muffled cry of pleasure as Dean arched his back and succumbed to the brutal rhythm.

Cas wanted to use his free hand to grab Dean’s other hip for more leverage, to fuck him at a harder pace, so he growled in Dean’s ear, “Can you keep quiet when I remove my hand?”

Dean hummed against his palm, managing a mute nod. 

Cas slowly pulled his hand away before gripping Dean’s hips and thrusting into him at such a hard pace, that the few containers on the top of the fridge started to clank against each other.

His husband was a particularly vocal lover, so Cas should have known better than to entrust he could keep quiet. Dean cried out and dropped his head back. “Oh, fuck yes, fuck me!”

If Cas hadn’t been so close, he might have chastised Dean, but at this point he was already too far gone to care if anyone heard them. His right hand left the position on Dean’s hip before reaching around to grip Dean’s throbbing erection, stroking it. “I’m so close to filling you a second time, Dean. I want you to come.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chanted in between soft moans and grunts of pleasure. Cas knew his husband was succumbing to his pleasure from the vice like tightening of Dean’s channel around his girth. The clench punched the air from Cas’s lungs as Dean cried out, “Cas!” before his cock twitched and Dean came over his hand.

Cas groaned as he fucked Dean through the orgasm. He couldn’t hold back any longer, and came deep inside of his husband. He struggled getting his breathing under control, and the sudden awareness hit him, that they really had been loud. The last thing they needed was Sam walking in on them. Or even worse, Jack. 

When he pulled out of Dean, he noticed his come running down Dean’s leg. He couldn’t help but smile over the animalistic satiation he felt at seeing that. He had no idea why he liked it so much.

“Fuck!” Dean groaned, this time it was distressed, as opposed to in pleasure.

Cas touched Dean’s shoulder, turning him a little to look at him. “What is it? Did I hurt you?”

Dean’s expression was intensely bereft. He stepped aside and pointed to the inside of the fridge. “I came on the pie.”


	26. Chocolate

**Chocolate**

They had the bunker to themselves for a week, so they had spent the majority of their spare time having sex in all the places they couldn’t usually. Dean had been particularly fond of exploring new kinks.

His favorite had been when Cas chained him up in the dungeon. That had been one hell of an orgasm. Dean relaxed against the headboard, smiling as he recalled the memory.

He was waiting for Cas to return with his surprise. Apparently, he’d found some tips on the internet, and when it came to sex with Cas, Dean always found himself on board.

After thirty minutes of waiting though, he grew impatient. Dean threw on his robe and slippers and made his way through the bunker to find his husband.

Dean had checked the bathroom, the map room, the library, even the dungeon (he tried to ignore the disappointment he felt in not finding him there). He finally found his husband in the kitchen, behind the counter, looking a little distressed. 

“Babe?” Dean asked, brow furrowed and lips tilted in unsure bemusement, “you okay?”

Cas looked up in shock before he flashed Dean a miserable expression. “Dean… I made a terrible mistake.”

“What happened?” He asked as he drew closer, rounding the counter to approach his husband. That was when he was stopped in his tracks.

Cas… Cas’s junk was… 

“I dipped everything in chocolate,” Cas explained with a sigh. “But it was way too much chocolate and now it’s hard and I… it doesn't look at all like on the internet.” He pointed at the almost block of chocolate covering Cas’s dick and balls.

Dean couldn’t stop the bark of laughter if he tried. He drew closer and knocked on the chocolate. It was rock hard. “Shit, babe, did you use cement?”

His angel shook his head. “It's a couverture chocolate for cake. Is there anything you can do?” Cas asked with a heart wrenching puppy eye look. “I’m sorry I failed in the surprise for you. The article on the internet said using food in sex was considered a fun venture. I’m not sure what I did wrong.”

He pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek before he dropped to his knees. “I guess I’ll just have to suck on it ‘til it melts.”

He could hear how Cas's breathing hitched. "Yes... that, um, that could work. Please."

Dean smirked as he wrapped his lips around the tip. Fuck, it tasted pretty bad too. As he looked up at his husband, he started sucking. Cas was worth it, and so would the reward when he finally freed his husband.

But it was probably going to take a minute for either of them to feel the pleasure. Ah, well, Dean doubled down on his sucking.


	27. Shopping

**Shopping**

Besides the chocolate incident that had at least ended with a happy ending, their exploration of new sexual things was going very well. Cas was reading and learning a lot on the internet, and that's where he stumbled over sex toys.

He had needed a few days to approach the topic with Dean though. He didn't want to give his husband the wrong impression about his intentions. The last thing he wanted Dean to think was that he was bored with their sex life. It was the opposite. Cas just wanted to experience everything with Dean, to give him everything he could dream of. He hoped that wish came across.

When he finally admitted that he wanted to go to a sex shop with Dean, his husband had readily agreed. He even looked excited.

And that was how they ended up in a sex shop in Lebanon, where Cas was critically looking over the different sizes of dildos, vibrators, and plugs. "Do you have any wishes about color and shape?"

Dean picked up an enormous dildo, and quirked his brow. “Is this a horse dong?” He shook his head and turned to Cas. “Maybe we should surprise each other, I buy something for you, and you buy something for me.”

“You want to buy something for me?” Cas tilted his head in surprise. “What would you buy?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said as he pressed a kiss to his cheek and wandered off to the other side of the shop.

Cas hated surprises. He just stood there, squinting his eyes at Dean, wondering what his husband would choose. He leaned forward on his tip toes trying to look over the displays, his gaze following what Dean was doing. Where he stopped and what he would pick up. Maybe if he could see where Dean picked something up, Cas could just go there and see what the shelf contained.

“Can I help you?” A deep voice interrupted his train of thought. When Cas turned around, he was greeted by a large man in a skintight shirt with the name of the shop. “Looking for anything in particular?”

For a moment Cas didn't know where to look. He wanted to continue to shadow and observe Dean, but he knew it was rude to ignore the helpful salesman. "Um, yes. I'm looking for a vibrating anal plug. A big one."

“How big?” the guy asked as he nodded for Cas to follow him down one of the aisles away from Dean.

It was now impossible for Cas to find out what Dean was buying, which was incredibly annoying. He tried to accept the loss and concentrated on the salesperson. Ultimately, it hadn’t been the man’s fault that he lost sight of Dean. “I’m not sure. Around the size of my penis. It’s for my husband,” he replied thoughtfully. “I think I can only answer that question when I see the sizes.”

The man nodded and showed him a wall holding a variety of different butt plugs. “Most plugs aren’t quite as long as the average penis, but there’s several that meet or exceed it in width. We have the vibrating plugs here.”

Cas looked at the specific section the salesman pointed to. There was one plug that was very close to his width. It was purple. "This one looks perfect. Can we pack it so my husband won’t see it? It’s a surprise."

The man smiled and nodded. “I’ll go to the back to make sure it works and meet you at the cash register.”

“Thank you. You’re very helpful,” he replied to the kind salesperson before his eyes wandered through the shop to find Dean. To his big disappointment, Dean was already waiting at the exit for him, holding a black plastic bag. He was already done with his shopping.

Cas sighed and went to pay for the anal plug, grateful that they had also hidden it into a black plastic bag. When he reached Dean, Cas noticed his husband’s smile. He wondered if Dean knew that Cas had tried to figure out what Dean bought. “I have everything.”

“Me too,” Dean said with an eyebrow waggle.

“Let’s go home and unpack?” Cas suggested, feeling a slight hint of nervousness about Dean’s shopping contents. Especially with the eyebrow waggle. That never meant anything good.

The whole drive back, the nervousness didn't get any better, and every time he looked at Dean, he just received a knowing smirk in return. Very unhelpful.

The nervousness had reached its peak when they were both sitting on their bed in the bunker, with their respective plastic bags next to them. “So, um, how… um… Should I just give you mine?”

“Get it ready, I’ve uh… I’ll be right back,” Dean said mysteriously as he stood up and grabbed his bag, slipping out the door.

To say that Cas was confused was the understatement of the century. But he nodded and waited for Dean to leave the room before he unpacked the plug and cleaned it methodically, as was written in the instructions that he carefully read. He put the batteries into the plug and tested it, noticing that the hum of the vibration was quiet enough so it couldn't be heard if Dean wore it outside of the bedroom. 

When the door to their room was opened again, the plug dropped from Cas's hand onto the bed. His lips parted and he forgot to breathe at the sight of Dean.

Dean was leaning against the open doorway, gently tapping a large black paddle against his open palm, clad only in a matching black leather collar and a pair of bright pink panties. “Come here often?” he asked with a smirk.

Cas didn't know what to say. The only thing he knew for sure was that he would never again claim that he didn't like surprises.


	28. Flowers

**Flowers**

_ Claire: Twenty minutes out, Hoff. You better be ready. _

Dean stared down at the message, a broad grin curling his lips. That should be just enough time. He pocketed the device and looked up. Jack was elbow deep in a wheelbarrow of soil. 

For the past couple of weeks, Dean had slowly, surely, and sneakily started building a garden for Cas. It was just a little south from the forest entrance to the bunker. Closed off with a small, white picket fence, Jack had been helping him build the flower boxes, planting the magnolia and black cherry trees, geraniums, lilacs, daisies, sunflowers, and several other plants that would attract bees.

There was only so much Dean had to go off of when it came to knowing how Cas’s favorite garden in Heaven looked, so he hoped he was close. “Cas’ll be here in ten, Jack. Let’s get it done,” he lied to kick his ass into gear.

Jack looked up with a smile and a nod before he carried more soil over to surround the plants and cover the roots. "Thank you for letting me help. I think Cas will love this very much." He sighed as he got up and returned to the wheelbarrow to grab more soil. "I hope one day I will have a relationship like you two have."

“I’d aim higher, we put each other through the ringer too,” he breathed out with a laugh as he started pruning some of the flowers to make Cas a bouquet to greet him with.

“What is higher than making each other happy?” Jack asked with a frown.

Dean shrugged. “Honestly? Probably nothing. But I… I wish I didn’t hurt him as much as I did.”

“I understand that,” Jack murmured after a moment before he sighed and continued to spread the soil. “Anyway, If I ever have a boyfriend, I hope he will love me as much as Castiel loves you.”

That took him aback. Dean quirked his brow as he looked him over. “You like dudes?”

Jack looked up, giving him a hesitant look. “Or girls. I don’t think I care.”

Dean chuckled and gave him an approving nod. “Alright. Sounds like your Dad,” he said with a smirk as he set the makeshift bouquet aside to finish the final touches on the little sign. He was no artist, it was just a piece of wood with the words, “Cas’s Garden,” and a couple of very poorly drawn bees.

“I look up to him,” Jack replied as he stood up and dusted off the dirt from his pants. “He taught me a lot about my angel side over the past year.”

Dean nodded and gave the kid a once over. “Do you regret it? Giving that part of yourself up?”

Jack walked over to him, his gaze wandered over the garden before he shrugged. “Sometimes,” he confessed before he shook his head. “But I would still do it again every time if it meant saving the world.”

They both looked up when they heard Claire’s car coming around the corner and parking at the side of the road.

“Show time,” he said as he grabbed the flowers and held open the gate for Jack to leave. He followed and they made their way down to the car.

His eyes were on Cas when his husband got out of the car with a soft smile. A smile that went impossibly wider when he noticed Dean.

Dean approached holding out the flowers to him. “Happy birthday, Cas.”

Cas slowly took the flower and tilted his head. "Birthday?" he asked before he smelled the flowers with closed eyes and another soft smile.

Dean chuckled and hooked his arm through Cas’s crooked elbow to guide him in the direction of his surprise. “I know you don’t technically have one, not one that can be measured in our current date system, but… you remember what day this is, right?”

“It’s the day I raised you from perdition,” Cas replied before he looked like he understood why Dean had chosen this date for him. “That is very fitting.”

“I have one more surprise for you,” he said as he continued to lead Cas down the little dirt pathway that led to the garden. When they reached the valley where it was in view, Dean's gaze stayed on Cas.

Cas's lips parted and he exhaled an audible breath of surprise. "Dean," he murmured before he walked closer to the garden and looked at the sign. "Dean... you... you made a garden for me?"

Dean smiled and nodded before he looked to Jack. “I had a little help.”

Jack hugged Cas and wished him a happy birthday. When he leaned back Dean noticed Cas got a little teary eyed. 

His husband turned around before he grabbed Dean and hugged him, too. "Thank you, Dean. This is incredible."

“You deserve it.” Dean pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

Shimmering blue eyes looked up at him. One of Cas's features Dean had definitely fallen in love with from the get go. Just like the sexy lips that were parted when Cas replied, “I love you, Dean.”


	29. Intersection

**Intersection**

It was a dark night, the crescent moon was hidden behind stormy clouds. Cas was standing alone on a crossroad, waiting for the demon he had summoned. 

He noticed since his grace had been low that patience wasn’t his strong suit anymore. “Come on,” he mumbled as he looked at the smoking bowl of ingredients with a sigh. 

When the demon finally showed up, it was in the meat suit of a very attractive lady. She widened her eyes at him in recognition. “Castiel! If I had known it was you I would have – ”

Cas waved her off. “I want to make a deal.”

“Um...” She shuffled her feet. “You know I can’t make a deal with – ”

“It’s Dean,” he interrupted with a choked up crack in his voice. “He did something stupid and I need him back! I’ll pay any price. Anything! As many souls as you want,” Cas pleaded with her. “This can stay between the two of us.”

The demon looked intrigued, stroking over her chin. “Okay, you have me interested. Baby souls have a lot of worth... maybe… hmmm, we really need to keep this to ourselves. No word to Rowena.”

In that moment Dean rammed an angel blade into the demon’s back. She shrieked and its essence burned away in front of Cas’s eyes, who silently watched as her corpse fell to the ground. 

He turned to Rowena, who had been hiding in the shadows. “I think we got your rogue crossroads demon.”

Rowena clicked her tongue as she approached, heels clicking against the dirt road, and looked down at the corpse in disdain. “It’s so hard to find loyal minions these days.”

Cas gave her a quick nod before he walked up to Dean and pulled him into a much needed hug. For a moment he actually imagined losing Dean, and the thought didn't sit well with him. He kissed Dean’s temple, murmuring, "She didn't even see you coming."

Dean chuckled and cupped his cheek. “Thanks to that killer performance. You’ve really gotten good,” he said, his tone clearly impressed.

“Too good.” Cas sighed as he leaned his forehead against Dean’s. “For a few moments, I imagined myself really in this situation.”

At that Dean’s expression turned serious. “You promise me you’ll never do it.”

“And I won’t,” Cas affirmed as he drew Dean into a kiss. “I promise. But you also have to promise to not do anything stupid. Because we can only be together... forever, if you end up in Heaven.”

Dean looked over at Rowena. “You’d give us visitation if I ended up in your neck of the woods, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course I would, beastie. I very much ship your romance.” Rowena gave them a sweet smile before she added, “And whoever said you shouldn’t work together if you’re married was lying. You two are a very nice asset to keep Hell in check. I would be a fool to give that up.”

Cas couldn’t help but smile back at her. It was really nice to know that even Hell wouldn’t mean the end for them. Times really had changed. He wrapped his arm around Dean’s shoulder. “Time to go home, tiger.”

It was a new pet name he was trying out. Because he had caught Dean singing and dancing to a song called, ‘Eye of the Tiger.’

Dean waggled his eyebrows. “Rawr.”

His husband growling at him would never get old. Cas sighed and smirked at Dean. Yes, they really needed to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did we fool ya? ;)


	30. Domestic

**Domestic**

Warm sun rays tickled Dean’s nose as he enjoyed the sway of the hammock Cas had bought a few months back. He set it up near the garden, and often they found themselves just enjoying the serenity of a peaceful little oasis of their own making.

Dean opened his eyes, smiling at the sight of Cas approaching with a couple of beers. “How’d I get so lucky?” he asked as he shifted as best he could to make room for his husband.

Cas carefully joined him on the hammock. For a moment it looked like they would topple over, but they had enough practice by now to even have a heavy make out session without falling off. 

His husband put one arm around him as he handed Dean the beer with the other, clinking them together. “I could ask the same question,” he replied with a soft smile before pressing a sweet kiss on the tip of Dean’s nose.

“Maybe we’re still at that djinn spa,” Dean joked, but honestly, even if they were, he was too damn happy with his life to try and fight it.

“Don’t say that.” Cas chuckled. “I really like that this is finally real. If you had told me two years ago that we would end up being married and happy…” He shook his head and laughed, taking a sip from his bottle. He looked so human in that moment. Cas really had come a long way.

Dean chuckled as he nuzzled his nose against Cas’s cheek. “So… no regrets, falling for me in every sense of the word?”

“None. This is my personal Heaven, Dean.” He drew him into a lazy kiss, his fingers softly carding through Dean’s hair.

Placing his beer on the ground, Dean shifted to deepen the kiss, causing the hammock to swing in time with the gentle grinding motion his hips made against Cas’s side. “You’re my Heaven,” he murmured as he slipped his hand down Cas’s chest.

“Dean,” Cas groaned against his lips. “You’re going to make me hard if you continue.” Cas gently tugged at Dean’s hair, lowering his voice, “We never tried to have sex on this hammock.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he smirked. “I like the way you think.” Just as he started to pull up Cas’s shirt, there was the sound of footsteps crunching leaves against the ground drawing closer. He sighed and gave Cas a pointed look. “Rain check.”

Cas sighed before he gave Dean a confused look. “It’s very sunny, Dean.”

Goddamn he loved his angel. Dean let out a huff of laughter and said. “It’s an expression. It means you owe me a good, hard fuck next time we’re alone.”

“That can be done.” Cas grinned before he drew Dean into another kiss, obviously uncaring that they would be disturbed at any second.

Well, it would serve their interrupters right. As Dean lost himself to a kiss that set every single nerve ending on fire, he started praying dirty thoughts to Cas. The hammock began swaying with their movement, and just as things were starting to get good, Dean stopped cold when suddenly something was dumped over them. 

It wasn’t water, and as Dean gasped, drawing back and opening his eyes, he found his husband covered in bright red glitter. Which meant Dean was covered too.

Jack and Claire were standing there with an empty bucket and twin shit-eating grins.

Dean sighed and growled out, “Son of a bitch!” 

**The Glittery End.**


End file.
